Emergency Community Food Pantry of Franklin County Celebrates 40 Years of Community Support

Since 1981, the Emergency Community Food Pantry of Franklin County has provided food support to community members through a vital network of churches, community organizations and social service agencies. In the past 10 years alone, more than 1,710,000 meals have been distributed to those experiencing hunger.

The Emergency Community Food Pantry of Franklin County is entirely volunteer run, from administrative tasks to the daily work of filling food requests. The food distributed is paid for by donations and grants, donated by local farmers, and collected from local food businesses.

Requests for food assistance are submitted by partner organizations and churches and vetted by the Resource Office for Social Ministries. The Emergency Community Food Pantry could not do its work without ROSM’s administrative support and the work of its many partner organizations. We are especially thankful to the partners who accept food applications from anyone in Frankfort and Franklin County: Buck Run Baptist Church, Capital City Christian Church, First Christian Church, Hillcrest Baptist Church, Memorial Baptist Church, Point Community Church, Salvation Army and Simon House. Anyone in need of food can contact one of these organizations to be connected to the Emergency Community Food Pantry’s services.

True to the original vision of the Emergency Community Food Pantry by social-service professionals Jane Quire, Terri Fadse and Allice LeMaster in 1981, the organization distributes one week’s worth of meals to individuals and families as requested. Additionally, families with very young children may receive vouchers to purchase groceries from Save-A-Lot and, since 2019, from the Franklin County Farmers Market. More recently, the Emergency Community Food Pantry has expanded outreach with mini-meal distributions to families through the Backpack Snacks Program, a fresh-food “prescription” program with the Franklin County Health Department and Mission Clinic, and annual neighborhood food drop-offs, bringing fresh and packaged foods into areas with high levels of food insecurity.

Inaugural Debbie Young Award

In honor of Debbie Young, a longtime volunteer who passed away this year, the Emergency Community Food Pantry has established the Debbie Young Award to recognize community members who help to advance the organization’s hunger-relief mission.

The inaugural Debbie Young Award is being given to the entire team of volunteers who have worked with the Emergency Community Food Pantry throughout the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 60 volunteers have given their time filling food requests, organizing and staffing neighborhood food drop-offs, picking up food donations, stocking pantry shelves, maintaining the food pantry building, and other tasks. The 2021 Debbie Young Award is given in honor of each of them and in memory of Debbie Young and Tom Cockley.

For more information about the Emergency Community Food Pantry of Franklin County and to make a donation, visit FrankfortFoodPantry.org and find the organization on Facebook, @FoodPantryOfFranklinCounty.                                                                                                    

You can begin to help feed the hungry by joining one or both of the following free donation programs below.  When you shop at either location, Kroger and Amazon will donate cash to the Food Pantry.  It will cost you nothing! and it will help us buy groceries.

For the latest news like us on Facebook at Emergency Community Food Pantry of Franklin County

                                        Click the Kroger Logo to Enroll in Free Kroger Donation Program    

                                 Click the Amazon Smile logo to Enroll in Free Amazon Smile Donation Program

                                                  Click the Good Giving logo to make a donation through this service. 

Emergency Food Pantry
PO Box 48
102 Lakeview Court
Frankfort, KY 40601