Batavia Interfaith Food Pantry and Clothes Closet opened its doors at a new location on Oct. 1, after a weekend-long move with the help of community members.

Interfaith Food Pantry relocated twice since 2023, but Executive Director Eileen Pasero believes they have found a forever home at 916 First St.

“It is definitely permanent,” Pasero said. “We are never ever ever ever moving again.”

The new west side facility nearly doubles the pantry’s space to 14,000 square feet, expanding its food shelves, clothes closet, storage and refrigeration capacity.

“I’m really excited about it,” Pasero said. “I think it’s going to be a really beautiful, wonderful space, and I think it’s going to give us the opportunity to help a lot of people.”

Pasero said in the new space, shoppers will see a wider selection of clothing and a more fully-stocked food pantry.

“It gives us the opportunity to have much larger shopping spaces,” Pasero said. “Having that extra pantry storage is going to help our bottom line.”

The new facility also has offices for staff, a drive-in dock and loading dock for deliveries and donation drop-offs.

Staff and volunteers packed and moved goods from the pantry’s previous east side location, at 431 N. Raddant Road, from Sept. 26 through Sept. 30.

“The community’s support for us is always amazing,” Pasero said. “We would not be able to do what we do without the incredible support that we receive from the Batavia community.”

Pasero said well over 100 people helped out on Saturday, when the brunt of the moving was done, with dozens more helping pack and clean the former location throughout the weekend.

“The move went surprisingly smoothly,” Pasero said. “We had an army of volunteers that was able to help us.”

The new location received its first donations the morning of Oct. 2. And the food pantry and clothes closet opened to shoppers at 6:30 p.m. that evening.

Pasero said that afternoon that she expected a busy first night.

Along with the new location, the food pantry also unveiled a newly redesigned logo and launched a new website.

A ribbon-cutting and open house are planned for later this fall, though a date has not been determined.

The new location will have the same hours of operation.

The pantry and clothes closet are open from 1 to 3 p.m. on Tuesday, 6:30 to 7:30 on Wednesday and Thursday, and 10 a.m. to noon on Friday.

Donation drop-off hours are 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesday, 8 a.m. to noon and 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday, and 10 a.m. to noon on Friday.

The pantry scored the new facility in part due to to a Community Project Funding grant, secured through U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood’s, D-Naperville, office.

“She was so instrumental in helping us,” Pasero said. “We would not have been able to purchase and renovate this building without that support and without that help from the Community Project Funding grant.”

Founded in 1981 by area churches, the food pantry has supported Batavia families for 44 years.

With over 800 local families registered, the food pantry and clothes closet serve 400 families – more than 1,300 people – each month. It relies on 11,000 volunteer hours each year, and is supported by one full-time and four part-time staff members.

The food pantry received more than 450,000 pounds of food in 2024. Of that, 350,000 pounds came from food rescue partnerships with area grocery stores and the rest from community donations and food drives.

To learn more, volunteer, donate or get help from the nonprofit, visit the food pantry website at bataviafoodpantry.org.