The pantry is open Monday evening 6-9 p.m. and Saturday 9-6. Everyone shopping for the pantry or working to serve the food is an unpaid volunteer, uses their own vehicle, and provides their own gas.

More volunteers are needed to shop, stock and clean the pantry, complete paperwork, and hand out the food. The pantry is authorized to distribute Johnston County's allocations of state and federal food to Cleveland residents.

The pantry spent $13,953.16 to provide food for 108,000 Meals in 2008, and 2009 costs are expected to rise to $16,000.

The food pantry is one block west of I-40 Exit 312 on NC HWY 42 - 5533 NC HWY 42 W, Units D96-100, Garner; 919-661-6565.

It serves only Cleveland Township residents and refers non-residents to their local pantries.

Starting in March 2009, demand increased 3,000 meals a month.

The pantry distributes 2-3,000 pounds of food weekly, but its supplier isn't expecting a variety of canned vegetables until the end of October. Affordable canned fruit and toilet paper are rare in the pantry world.