Agency Closes on New Building for Food Pantry

ST. LOUIS — Jewish Family & Children's Service has announced that it has closed on the purchase of a new building to house its Harvey Kornblum Jewish Food Pantry (HKJFP) Feb. 9. 

Located at 10601 Baur Blvd. at Warson Road, the new location is less than one mile from the current home within the JF&CS Allan R.Hoffman Building on Schuetz Road. The purchase price is given at $1 million.

The Board hopes to have the Pantry move in by mid-year and begin operations shortly thereafter with little or no interruption in service.

The decision to relocate came in 2011 after an extensive, needs-determination process by a task force committee headed by Carol Staenberg. The decision to seek a new facility was approved by the JF&CS Board, which then set a purchase limit. The task force, with the help of Stan Hoffman of St. Louis County Realty and son of Allan R. Hoffman, for whom the JF&CS Building is named, then found the 21,000 square foot building vacated by a business that managed trade shows.

JF&CS Board President Fred Steinbach stressed that many people have worked on the funding process.

“Special recognition must go to the Jewish Federation as well as JF&CS Board and staff,” said Steinbach.

From the time it was established in 1991, when it served 40 families, to its current volume of 5-6,000 people per month, the Pantry has kept up with the growing needs of the community regardless of race or religion. Besides canned and fresh food and personal items, the Pantry provides Kosher and other products for those with dietary restrictions. The staff is backed by 168 regular and 1,200 episodic volunteers, and is working to increase to 200 regular volunteers after the move.

“We do not foresee a decline or leveling off in the need for our services. The demand will continue to grow based on the economic downturn.” said Staenberg. “The new building will enable us to be more efficient in serving the growing population while respecting the privacy of clients. Additionally we have made it easy for clients to drive between locations for those who need multiple services.”

Fundraising for the building has already begun.

“We are grateful and thank those in the community who have already contributed, “said JF7CS Executive Director Lou Albert. “Although we are making great strides, we still need additional support to make this project happen.”

JF&CS is conducting a limited fundraising appeal for the purchase with an additional endowment focus to cover annual operating expenses. 

For generations, JF&CS has offered compassionate support and practical solutions to guide people through life’s ups and downs. Added in 1991 and celebrating its 20^th year, the food pantry (now the Harvey Kornblum Jewish Food Pantry), a major program for JF&CS, was established to serve clients living in surrounding zip codes.

Today, 22 JF&CS programs serve clients from more than 110 different zip codes throughout the greater St. Louis area. JF&CS is a proud member of the United Way and the Jewish Federation; and receives major funding from the St. Louis County Children’s Service Fund.

For more information about Jewish Family & Children’s Service, please call 314-993-1000, or visit www.jfcs-stl.org.

For information about the new building call Fred Steinbach at 314/660-0534.