New food pantry hopes to help people across the area

By Diane Daniels, WSBT-TV Reporter

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Customers examine the food at the My Ranch Food Pantry in South Bend. (WSBT photo)

By Jim Pinkerton

Story Created: Aug 8, 2009 at 7:48 PM EST

Story Updated: Aug 11, 2009 at 6:15 PM EST

SOUTH BEND — Most people have heard the phrase, "If you build it, they will come." That is certainly holding true at the area's newest food pantry.

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Kelly Miller of South Bend went shopping Saturday, but not at a store.
She picked up some of the essentials at a newly opened food bank called My Ranch Food Pantry.

"This kind of assistance is helpful to my family right now, due to that my husband is laid off and we have two children. We're a family of four," Miller said.

Among other things Miller received: fruit drinks, vitamin water and peanut butter. Minimal paperwork was involved to qualify.

"It'll help out tremendously because the things that they have are the things that are more expensive," she said.

"Basically, we're trying to help everyone that needs it," said Taffie Mallard of My Ranch Food Pantry.

Mallard is the man behind the mission. His first challenge: trying to secure as many resources as possible to keep supplies stocked. Challenge number two: trying to make sure the food gets out as quickly as possible to as many people who need it.

"We're not limiting it to one side of town. We're limiting it to a 50 mile radius. Elkhart is hurting, South Bend is hurting, Cassopolis, Benton Harbor all the communities within a 50 mile radius we're trying to cover and supply," Mallard said.

The dream of creating a food pantry in this community was five years in the making, but it's really just the start. Mallard hopes to take the entire space he's surrounded by and fill it with food.

For now, the biggest challenge food pantry users may have is finding the food. There are no signs outside 3702 West Sample in South Bend.

Now that the "My Ranch Food Pantry" is open, the hours are being modified. Tuesday and Thursday the hours are from 11 to 2. Saturday it will be open from 10 until noon.

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