(Our appreciation to Red Bay News Publisher Jason Collum for allowing us to print this article.)
Area residents who have utilized Vina’s Meal Barrel Project food pantry to supplement their food supply will need to look elsewhere as director Penny Freeman announced its abrupt closure on Thursday, June 19.
In a message to supporters via the Meal Barrel Project’s Facebook page, Freeman did not specify the reasons, but just conveyed her appreciation for being able to serve the community and work alongside the volunteers who staffed the pantry.
“Dear Friends, We want to thank you for allowing us to serve you through the Vina Food Pantry,” Freeman wrote. “It has been our honor and privilege to stand beside you and support your household with food and resources during challenging times. We’re reaching out to let you know that effective immediately, the Vina Food Pantry location will be closed. This was a very difficult decision, and we did not make it lightly. Due to circumstances beyond our control, we are unable to continue operations at this location. We know this news may bring uncertainty, and we are truly sorry for any hardship this may cause in the short term. Thank you for your trust, your patience, and your continued support as we take the next steps forward.”
The monthly food donation drive was launched in 2022 and regularly served more than 400 households.
One respondent on the page replied, stating the decision would be leaving children at home this summer with no food and asked who made the decision. Freeman stated the decision was a difficult one to make.
“Closing the Vina location was a painful and difficult decision, one we delayed as long as possible in hopes that the situation would improve,” Freeman wrote. “This wasn’t about people not showing up – you’re right, the lines were long and the need is real. That’s exactly why this decision hurts so much. But a food pantry takes more than people in line to stay open. It takes money, dedicated volunteers, and reliable equipment (just to name a few things). We no longer have consistent access to those essential tools, and without them, continuing operations would be nearly impossible.”
Freeman stated anyone looking to be part of a solution to help restore the Vina location could reach out to her at 256-810-4289.
The Meal Barrell Project was an offshoot of the original project in Sheffield. The Sheffield project was forced to vacate the property where it was housed in 2024 after the city terminated its lease. Freeman and the organization moved late last summer to an old school building in Cherokee.
