Although it is still located at Conestoga Mennonite Church (CMC) in Morgantown, the Twin Valley Food Pantry (TVFP) is now its own nonprofit organization governed by a community-based board of directors.

According to the Rev. Bob Petersheim, CMC pastor, the transition of the pantry from a church ministry to its own entity was accomplished in 2020. "The growth of the Twin Valley Food Pantry as a community-based and community-supported ministry led CMC to discern (that) it warranted its own 501(c)(3) and community ownership," Petersheim stated.

With the change came new bylaws that state that the majority of the food pantry's board members would be from the community. "The community has been incredibly generous in supporting this ministry in multiple ways," Petersheim said. "We believe that the community should have the ultimate opportunity to govern it and oversee it."

The TVFP began 15 years ago at the Morgantown Methodist Church before it became a ministry of CMC in 2009. "Several key current volunteers were part of the (original) Methodist church team," Petersheim noted. "They've been joined by volunteers and donor support from multiple other churches, schools and civic organizations making this a broad-based local face of Christ."

The pantry is run by CMC volunteers Howard and Carol Moss. In July 2020, Leslie Lesher was hired as a part-time administrator. "Leslie brings to this role all the skills, personal integrity and relational strengths for which the board was searching," Petersheim commented.

Because of COVID-19, the TVFP had to adopt a drive-through format during its monthly food distributions. "We hope to transition it back to client's choice as soon as it's safe to do so," Petersheim noted. "Research shows that there is much less waste when there is client's choice."

In addition, the TVFP operates with a reduced number of volunteers, who wear masks and practice social distancing. "We safely transitioned from a client's choice venue that needed 60 to 70 volunteers each monthly distribution night to now using smaller teams to prepare and accomplish a drive-through," Petersheim explained, noting that between 25 and 30 volunteers are currently needed on distribution nights.

He reported that the number of households served by the pantry has actually been lower during the pandemic. "There is such a generous community; there are now many more agencies, churches and civic groups that are giving food to our community," Petersheim said.

Petersheim added that the TVFP will continue to follow the three values that have been in place for the past 10 years: "Generosity - reflecting God's abundance in Christ; Dignity - respecting everyone with love; and Integrity - protecting donor and participant trust."

For more information about the TVFP and volunteer opportunities, readers may visit http://www.twinvalleyfoodpantry.com. or http://www.facebook.com/twinvalleyfoodpantry.org. The community may continue to drop off food donations at CMC on Tuesdays through Fridays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The church is located at 2779 Main St. (Route 23), Morgantown.