Interchurch Social Services
of Knox County

The Knox County Land Bank will partner with Interchurch Social Services and create a food pantry hub in the former Wine Stein restaurant at 156 Howard St.

​

Interchurch operates a food pantry and thrift store at 306 W. Gambier St.

​

ISS Director Carolyn Fergus said the plan is to move pantry operations to the Howard Street location and maintain the thrift store on West Gambier.

​

“Both needed to expand, and we are landlocked where we are now [on West Gambier],” Fergus said. “We couldn’t go toward the back or either side, so we looked at Wine Stein.

​

“It makes the perfect food pantry, and it puts us close to senior citizens, which is even better.”

​

Fergus said Interchurch will add cold storage for fresh produce and freezer storage.

​

“It’s really going to expand the pantry. Where the current pantry is, that will become thrift store donation and sorting and storage, so it’ll free up even part of my thrift store,” she said.

​

Fergus does not foresee an issue with having the pantry and thrift store in two locations. Both locations are on the Knox Area Transit route.