ELLSWORTH, Maine — Hancock County food pantry Loaves and Fishes has been serving the area for more than 40 years but recently got an upgrade.
At the beginning of this year, the food pantry purchased a new building that could more than double its capacity.
To make this all happen, Loaves and Fishes food pantry announced a matching gift challenge supporting the new building campaign.
Two donations adding up to $50,000 allowed the food pantry to match any donations for May through June.
The new space will allow for a larger pantry, garden boxes, community areas, and more.
“Currently, clients can visit just once a month, and we want to open it up to unlimited visits," Max Dietshe said. "Incidentally, visits are up this year almost 70 percent over the same period of last year. So the need is not going away. It’s, in fact, growing,”
Loaves and Fishes Food Pantry ultimately has the goal of reaching $850,000 for building renovations.