r Tabitha’s Way Local Food Pantry has moved to its new Spanish Fork location at 45 E. 100 N. The charity, started in 2010, has outgrown its old Main Street location. The new location provides a significant increase in size and accessibility.
“It’s hard to express the significance of this building,” said Tabitha’s Way founder and executive director Wendy Osborne. “This is the best possible set up to meet needs and serve people.
With the new building, Tabitha’s Way has increased their refrigerated storage by 78 percent. In the past, Osborne said donations had to be turned down because they couldn’t be safely stored. The pantry floor space increased by over 30 percent and the storage space increased by almost 1000 percent.
Tabitha’s Way will welcome the community to their new facility with an open house and ribbon cutting on Monday, April 30. Tours will start at 10:30 a.m. and the ribbon cutting ceremony will be held at noon. Following the ribbon cutting, a special presentation will be made to honor founding contributors who have provided labor, materials and funds for the building.
The event will be catered by Even Stevens Sandwiches. The Spanish Fork Chamber will be there as well as leaders from towns from Santaquin to Springville. Osborne said the event is open to the public and encourages everyone who’s interested to come and see the new location.
Osborne sees the open house as the charity’s opportunity to say thank-you. “We’re so thankful for the community who got us to this point,” she said. “There have literally been thousands of people and businesses who’ve helped get us where we are.”
Accessibility is a major improvement at the new location. Osborne said access was so bad that it kept some seniors away. The new access provides a warm and welcoming feeling that makes a difference in the way clients feel about being served. Their surroundings should never make them feel ashamed about having to ask for help.
“We can now serve them with a place designed with easy access where they can be feel treated with dignity, respect and privacy,” she said.
Tabitha’s Way also has many immediate needs for volunteers and donations. For those wanting to donate, Osborne said they need a lot of dry packed goods such as noodles, beans and rice. There is also a huge need for hygiene products, including toilet paper.
For those interested in a service project, one of the regular volunteers has prepared a sewing project for those who love to sew. They will be creating reusable shopping bags for Tabitha’s Way clients. You can pick up some fabric, a pattern, a tote bag sample at the new location.
Osborne said Tabitha’s Way also has a desperate need for regular volunteers who can donate time at the facility on a regular, ongoing basis. Those interested can contact her at info@tabithasway.org.
