Food pantry is working on another expansion

A larger facility wasn't quite large enough for Columbia County Cares.

The food pantry moved in February 2005 from its former home on Columbia Road to a larger location at 1959 Appling-Harlem Highway.

Now the group wants to build a storage structure on the same property sometime this year.

"As soon as I get back I have an appointment to meet with (county officials) to review the plans for the new building," said David Titus, the president of Columbia County Cares.

The new building will include extra storage space, a walk-in freezer and a walk-in refrigerator, Titus said.

Because the group is a public-private partnership with the county, 1-cent sales tax funds can be used to build the new storage building.

Although Titus didn't know how many square feet the group's new home covers, he said it's easily triple the size of its old home on Columbia Road.

"It's allowed us to arrange our facility to make it an efficient, friendly operation in terms of servicing our customers," he said.

As Columbia County Cares' building grew, so did the number of its customers, Titus said.

"In November and December, we served over 400 families each month," he said. "Years before, we averaged around 300 families."

Lou Reda, the director of Columbia County Cares, said the growing need demanded increasing the space even more.

"Around Thanksgiving, we were really pressed for freezer space," he said. "A walk-in freezer and refrigerator will enable us to serve more in a more efficient manner."