Mobile Food Pantries

After much consideration for the mobile pantry guests in Columbia County, Second Harvest Foodbank, in consultation with Catholic Charities, has made the decision to merge the Portage mobile pantry and the Pardeeville mobile pantry starting with the May 2026 distribution.  The February, March and April 2026 distributions will take place as planned.

What will change

Starting in May and running through October each year the new Columbia County Mobile Pantry (MP) will take place in Pardeeville at its normal location at St. Mary’s Church.  This will take place starting at 3:30 PM on the 3rd Monday of each month.

In November, and running through April of each year, the MP will shift to Portage at its normal location at the Columbia County fairgrounds.  This MP will take place on the 3rd Monday of the month and start at 10:00 AM.

We are going to provide guests with notifications starting at the February distributions, include area pantry listings in March, and add a Food Share and 211 resource flyer at the final distributions in April.  We will also share these changes over our texting lines as the change dates draw nearer.  We will also remind guests for two months each time the MP shifts from on location to the other.

Background

We decided to consolidate these two pantries after assessing ongoing resource constraints and the associated need to ensure food is distributed as equitably as possible across our 16-county service area.  Information collected through our 2025 Mobile Pantry Survey helped support our decision-making. We also assessed the usage data for the two Columbia County MPs and found significantly overlapping footprints of the zip codes from which each MP draws its guests. In addition, guests of both pantries have access to a number of other resources in the area and will still be able to attend the other MP as the two are less than 10 miles apart.

With gratitude

We are extremely grateful to the coordinators and volunteers in each location and hold them all in the highest regards, which is why we decided not to close one of the MPs and move the entire operation to the other location.  It made most sense to hold the November through April distributions in Portage where they have shelter from the cold while holding them in Pardeeville outside from May through October.  Since your dedication to your communities, Catholic Charities will work with the volunteer groups from each location to engage them with other opportunities to support your neighbors.

Thanks to all for your continued support and understanding while we make this difficult decision.  We look forward to working with both communities in our efforts to bring nourishing food to you and your neighbors.