Storehouse Pantry in Manchester reaching out to the community for help.
Local March 9, 2020 Daniel Prince
In what was once a mechanic shop on Hickerson Street in Manchester, now lies the home of the Storehouse Pantry. The Storehouse was founded by Staria Davison in May of 2018, after she felt a calling to feed the hungry and alleviate food insecurity in Manchester and the surrounding areas. Every Thursday from 1-3pm the pantry gives away one box of food, valued around $40 to a family in need. Volunteers sign up each week to come in, pack boxes, and distribute them to each family, who stand in line to wait for food each week. The pantry distributes on average around 150 boxes on a weekly basis. In the month of January alone, the pantry served 733 families, equaling about 2,200 individuals.
The Storehouse Pantry is open to the public only one day a week currently, but team members work around the clock to feed community members in need. “We get calls all the time from places like CASA, DHS, DCS, halfway houses, even sheriff’s and fire departments that reach out to us, that may have a family in need of food.” Staria Davison also stated that they work in partnership with Be the Bush Ministries to feed the students at the recovery ministry.
The Storehouse Pantry is a 501(c)3 organization and operate solely on donations and volunteers. The women who run the office, along with many community members, volunteer over forty hours per week in efforts to feed citizens in need. Although the organization has received many contributions, founder Staria Davison states that she has, at times, contributed her own money into the program as well. The volunteers of the program are highly dedicated to their mission.
(center, bottom row) Treasurer Rosye Keele
In addition to providing food donated by organizations like Second Harvest, One Generation Away, Black Rifle Company, Donut Palace, Kroger, Publix, AEDC, Starbucks of Tullahoma, Walmart, and Save-a-Lot in Manchester, the pantry is also responsible for expenses associated with the building such as rent, water, electric, phone, internet, and gas for their vehicles. In the future, they will be responsible for new expenses as the business grows such as renter’s insurance, tax services, and web page expenses.
Local businesses and individuals have made many generous donations both monetarily and supplies for the building, such as office equipment like copiers generously donated by Craig Abbott of ACES. Brandon Imhoff of Premier Lawn Care has donated things like industrial refrigerators, freezers, a conveyor belt, and a box truck. Staria Davison says “He’s been a huge supporter of ours.”
The Storehouse has purchased metal from Chad Ferrell of Watson Metals for the building, but are seeking out help installing it, as well as new flooring. “Chad gave us a really good deal, so that we could afford the metal, but we do need help installing it.”
The Storehouse Food Pantry works in close partnership with organizations like Be the Bush Ministries, Nazarene Church of Tullahoma, nursing homes, Shepard’s House, the Humane Society, DCS, Amerigroup, Recovery courts, Good Samaritan, Damron’s Restaurant, Coffee County Jail, Manchester Fire and Police Departments, Haven of Hope, and many more. These organizations help often with donations to help The Storehouse with their mission. The Storehouse Pantry also accepts donations from local citizens such as:
- Mac and Cheese
- Peanut Butter
- Noodles
- Spaghetti Sauce
- Canned Vegetables
- Soups
- Soap
- Detergent/ Dish Liquid
- Deodorant
- Shampoo
- Toothpaste and Toothbrushes
- Diapers
- Baby Food or Formula
Recently, The Storehouse received an abundance of food donations, and is reaching out to the community for help. With the abundance of food, there is a growing need for storage. Since the pantry operates on donations, The Storehouse is reaching out to the community in need of the following items or services:
- Industrial Refrigerators or Freezers
- Office Bathroom Renovations
- Office floor installation
- Food distribution boxes
- Office Electrical Work
If you would like to donate or help the Storehouse Food Pantry, you can contact the organization’s coordinator Staria Davison by phone or email at (931)-247-5272 or sdavison4216@hotmail.com, or contact Laurie Campbell by email at laurief52@yahoo.com. The Storehouse Pantry is located at 607 Hickerson Street in Manchester.
