The People’s Pantry is reducing its hours because we can no longer afford to operate four days a week. This decision comes after deep reflection, careful financial stewardship, and a strong commitment to sustaining services for families who rely on us.

Over the past three years, we have taken every responsible step to strengthen our financial foundation: reversing a $1.1 million shortfall, reducing operating expenses by 9%, optimizing staffing, and earning national recognition for accountability and transparency.

Today, the Center for People holds a near-perfect 99% rating on Charity Navigator – with a 4-star score in Accountability & Finance – and the Platinum Seal of Transparency from Candid, distinctions achieved by only a small percentage of nonprofits nationwide.

Even with these improvements, the cost of operating the Pantry at its current level is no longer sustainable. Adjusting our hours allows us to protect essential programs, focus resources where they have the greatest impact, and ensure that the community can continue to count on us for years to come.

Our mission remains our anchor: to walk alongside low-income families by providing basic needs support and educational opportunities that lead to economic independence.

What is evolving is how we live out that mission. We are working to make our programs more connected, more sustainable, and more accessible so families can rely on us not only today, but for years to come.

Our promise to dignity, access, and equity will not waiver.

Every interaction, whether it involves food, education, employement, or support, will continue to be grounded in compassion and respect. This commitment guides both our daily service and our financial decisions.

Even with a lean staff and the extraordinary dedication of our volunteers, our Food Distribution program costs roughly $450,000 per year.

This includes staffing, transportation, occupancy, insurance, supplies, our Food Bank shared maintenance fee, warehouse management, and responsible disposal of unusable items. We share these costs transparently because we believe stewardship includes honest communication about what it takes to sustain essential services for our community.

Yes, and that is a testament to Lincoln’s caring network of partners.

Data from the Clarity system shows that approximately 84% of the households we serve also receive food support from at least one other Lincoln agency. This overlap reflects a strong community safety net where organizations work together to ensure families are not left without options.

A comprehensive list of resources can be found on the MyLNK app or at Findhelp.org.

Currently, only about 19% of our food access work is supported through grants. The rest – more than 80% – comes from the generosity of donors who believe deeply in ensuring that families have what they need, along with support from our rapidly depleted operating reserves.

Even with the reduced hours, the Pantry’s projected operating cost in 2026 will be $350,000. Donor support will remain essential. We are profoundly grateful for every act of generosity and remain steadfast in our commitment to steward each dollar wisely, efficiently, and with complete transparency.

Over the past year, we pursued more than a dozen grants totaling $2.1 million in funding for food access and nutrition. Even with strong outcomes and community impact, funders repeatedly cited two concerns:

1. Financial Sustainability

• Many funders expressed that our previous food distribution model required ongoing, large-scale subsidies that typical grant cycles could not sustain. They struggled to support a model without long-term revenue or a cost-recovery structure, something we have since been actively working to address.

2. Alignment With Funding Priorities

• Some funders reserve food distribution resources for Food Banks rather than Food Pantries. Others prioritized nutrition education, agriculture, or system-level strategies over direct food distribution.

These decisions were not reflections of our worth or our impact; they were reflections of funding structures and priorities that sit beyond our influence. Still, we will continue pursuing food-related grants with determination. And should funding landscapes shift, we will responsibly adapt operations to ensure any new support directly strengthens food access for families we serve.

Increasingly, funders see food insecurity as a symptom of deeper economic challenges. As a result, they are choosing to invest in workforce development, education, and long-term stability pathways. We have been successful in securing these types of grants.

In response, and as part of our stewardship approach, we are integrating food access into education and employment programs so that families continue to receive basic needs support throughout their journey toward economic independence.

We are reframing food access as a supportive, essential component of our education and workforce programs.

This includes nutrition education, integrated meals, culturally relevant recipes, and SNAP Nutrition Education programming. By strengthening the connection between food and long-term stability, we are better positioned to secure funding that sustains both the educational and nutritional needs of our community. This strategic shift reflects both compassion and responsible financial planning.

First, we remain deeply grateful for the donors and funders who uphold this work. Their generosity is the reason we can continue forward. In 2026, our new People’s Pantry budget forecasted at $350,000. As we strengthen our long-term sustainability, we will continue stewarding our resources with the highest level of accountability and care. Our efficiency ratio is an impressive 81.2%, meaning over 81 cents of every dollar is invested directly into programs that serve our community, a reflection of our commitment to using every dollar wisely and transparently.

We are also excited to introduce new revenue-generating initiatives that support long-term stability, a priority that has already helped us reverse past deficits and reduce expenses. These efforts will take time to grow, but they represent a hopeful and responsible path to expanding services, including the Pantry, as our financial footing strengthens.

Our Board is a steadfast partner in both mission and stewardship.

Every board member makes a personal financial contribution each year, and many volunteer directly in our programs. Beyond governance and fundraising, they serve alongside us – packing food, greeting families, and ensuring our values and responsible financial practices guide every decision.

Yes. As we shift to more focused Pantry hours, we want to ensure families continue to have easy, consistent access to everything they need to receive services. In 2026, all Clarity-trained staff will be available during food distribution hours to complete full intakes, share information about additional services, and issue new or renewed Clarity cards.

By removing the need for appointments, families can get their cards updated in one visit, reducing barriers and supporting a smoother, more dignified experience.