NWA Food Bank’s client choice pantry, Feed Rogers, set to reopen Wednesday | Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

ROGERS -- Northwest Arkansas Food Bank's pantry, Feed Rogers, is reopening Wednesday after being closed due to damage from the Memorial Day weekend storms.

Feed Rogers, a client choice pantry at 216 S. 13th St., lost half its roof and was flooded during the storms, said Sabrina Thiede, director of programs at Northwest Arkansas Food Bank. Staff and volunteers at Feed Rogers were able to continue providing services to the community despite not having a building, she said.

"We know how important it is to keep food accessible, and we've been working creatively over the past several months to ensure minimal disruption in services," Thiede said.

She said the team at Feed Rogers worked out of the Cross Church parking lot with a drive-thru system to put food in people's cars. When the new Northwest Arkansas Food Bank opened in Lowell this summer, Thiede said Feed Rogers operations used that building as well.

People also could order food online to pick up at different locations with the Order Ahead program, but that service will cease when the Feed Rogers building opens and people can shop for their own food again.

"I am very proud of our team and how we have worked hard to ensure our neighbors still have access to nutritious foods," said Lauren McGrath, community resource manager at Feed Rogers. "We tried to be creative in the opportunities and times available to our neighbors."

Kent Eikenberry, president and CEO of the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank, said repairs to the Feed Rogers building exceeded $200,000, and additional food and distribution costs as a result of the tornadoes were much higher.

Thiede said the food bank received nearly $700,000 in donations after the storms, and a majority of the money went toward agency partners throughout the region as well as toward the Order Ahead program.

There was enough money to fully restock the Feed Rogers pantry for its reopening and to add some improvements to the facility, Thiede said. The checkout counter will now be similar to other grocery stores where people can pull their carts up to the register, and an exterior freezer has been installed for additional meat availability, she said.

Anyone can schedule an appointment to visit Feed Rogers online, via email or by phone. Feed Rogers hours for appointments are Wednesday 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Thursday 1 p.m. to 6 p.m., Friday 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. to noon. Scheduled appointments are required, though there is no income, documentation or residency requirements, according to the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank website.

The times available for appointments include evenings and Saturday mornings to accommodate shifting work schedules, McGrath said.

"We will be ready on Wednesday with big smiles and shelves full of food," she said.

The Samaritan Community Center works closely with the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank and Feed Rogers. Debbie Rambo, Samaritan Community Center executive director, said she is excited about Feed Rogers opening again.

She said the Samaritan Community Center in Rogers also experienced some tornado damage, but was able to remain open. The Samaritan thrift store in Rogers, however, was closed for 13 weeks due to damage.

Rambo said the thrift store lost its roof and its heating and air units, and the glass was blown out of the front facade.

The store reopened in August after repairs and some additional changes were completed. The store now has polished concrete floors instead of tile, a change made as a result of flooding, Rambo said.

She said the store has new signage, new shelves and the interior layout is different.

"The Samaritan Community Center is up and running as well as ever," she said.