Agency Converting Bike Shop to Food Pantry

LCCAA’s Bike Shop on West 10th Street has closed to make way for a new food pantry in response to increased food insecurity in the community.

“As an agency, we recognize as local need shifts, we need to shift too,” said Jackie Boehnlein, Lorain County Community Action CEO. “Prices keep creeping up. Making ends meet and putting food on the table is a new kind of difficult.”

Approximately 17,000 households in Lorain County receive SNAP benefits (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or food stamps). LCCAA’s 2022 Community Needs Assessment found that 48% of those households include children and another 30% include seniors 60 or older.

The federal government has rolled back emergency allotments put into place to help SNAP recipients through the pandemic. In Ohio, the emergency allotments end after February’s payments

Boehnlein said the retail space of the bike shop will be converted this summer by workers in the Youth Services program. The new pantry will focus on fresh produce and perishable items that community members may have trouble accessing or affording. Once the pantry opens, youth will receive paid work experience to fulfill food orders and provide curbside services. Meanwhile, youth services activities such as mentoring will continue on the upper floor of the building, known as the Ronald Nabakowski Youth Center.

Tune and repair services at the shop stopped as of Feb. 1. The shop’s inventory will be sold, donated or repurposed into other programs.

Anyone with questions regarding the bike shop may leave a message at 440-204-3190. An agency employee will return calls.