Tuscaloosa Church Aims To Open New Food Pantry This Summer

TUSCALOOSA, AL — Grace Presbyterian Church on Tuesday announced the beginning of construction work on Tuscaloosa’s first “client choice market-style food pantry" that will be called Table of Grace.

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The church said construction work began on Feb. 13, on the corner of Hargrove Road and Prince Avenue, across the street from the church.

Food pantry director Jennifer Shepard explained that Table of Grace is on track for completion in the late summer of 2023, with the new market-style food pantry expected to open in early fall.

The new food pantry will include increased freezer, refrigeration, and storage space, which aims to improve on the current food pantry that serves 250-300 households monthly — approximately 600-800 people.

Indeed, in 2022 the pantry gave away over 85,000 pounds of food.

The new food pantry is intended to serve as a reimagining of the church's Loaves and Fishes Food Pantry, which will allow clients to select from inventory provided by the West Alabama Food Bank and other donations.

“At Table of Grace, we will still have the same foods that we have now, but clients will choose what they put in their bags.” Shepard said “We will be able to offer a greater variety to choose from, and include items that address health/diet issues. Right now, everybody receives a similar bag, and substitutions are not possible.”

Table of Grace also plans to expand the church food ministry with an orchard and a community garden, with the ultimate goal of offering more fresh produce to clients. This effort will require more volunteers and additional partnerships with other organizations in Tuscaloosa.

Brooke Peterson is a member of Grace Presbyterian Church and is tasked with organizing the new garden.

“We plan to be able to add seasonal fresh fruits and vegetables to this selection from food we grow in a garden and from a network of growing and gleaning throughout the area," she said. "We will need volunteers for food distribution on a weekly basis. We will need people to help stock and organize the food. We will need gardeners and community organizers.”

Organizers say Table of Grace is the intended next step in the growth of both the feeding ministry and Grace Presbyterian Church as a whole.

The ministry has been feeding those in need for two decades, going back to the founding of the Deacon’s Food Pantry in 2002 at the former University Presbyterian Church.

University Presbyterian eventually merged with Covenant Presbyterian Church in 2016 to form Grace Presbyterian, resulting in the feeding ministry becoming the Loaves and Fishes Food Pantry — going on to become one of the most important ministries for the newly formed congregation.

“Table of Grace reflects who we are as a church,” stated Emily Altman, chairperson of Grace’s Mission, Peace, and Justice Committee. “We are a church that feeds God’s people.”

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