Well of Life food pantry moves to new central Springfield location

The Well of Life is supported by eight churches in central Springfield, and is now on Kimbrough Avenue.

June 11, 2012|by Linda Russell, KY3 News | lrussell@ky3.com

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- An organization that has been feeding the hungry in central Springfield for several years has a new location. Center City Christian Outreach is a group of eight churches in central Springfield that operates Well of Life.

The food pantry's old location was on the campus of St. Agnes Cathedral, but the churches are excited to have made the move to a more convenient location in the 400 block of Kimbrough Avenue. They've come together to do God's will and feed thousands.

"Our eight churches were all having our doors knocked upon, and we thought, if we combined our resources, we would be able to serve those people better and not send them from one to the other to the other," said Greg Gloeckner, president-elect of Center City Christian Outreach.

The Well of Life has been serving central Springfield since 2004, but this is a new beginning.

"The pantry's a lot bigger, and we're also on the bus route, so that makes us much more accessible," said Gail Smart, president of Center City Christian Outreach.

Michael Tremaine and Annie Palmer are the first clients to visit the new location.

"We found out from a church by our apartment," said Tremaine.

The Well of Life aims to serves those in the 65806 zip code.

"If someone comes in from out of our area, we'll serve them once to help them along the way, and refer them to their own service area," said Gloeckner.

Here, people can receive help with rent, utilities and bus passes, but the biggest demand is for food.

"Sometimes my mom and dad help us. They come down and give us their leftovers," said Palmer.

The Well of Life will feed families up to six times a year. For Tremaine and Palmer, 26 pounds of food will make the load a little lighter.

"I've been to places and they're not hiring, so I just keep on looking," said Tremaine.

Though it already feeds about 500 people a month, the Well of Life is opening the door to even more.

"We expect a lot more people to come," Smart said.

The Well of Life is at 418 Kimbrough, just south of Walnut Street. It's open Monday through Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Those requesting assistance should bring a photo ID, Social Security cards for all to receive assistance, and a piece of mail with the family's current address.

While Center City Christian Outreach's Well of Life is supported by eight churches, they always welcome other donations or even other member churches. The phone number is (417) 869-2865.

The churches that support Well of Life are Christ Episcopal, First and Calvary Presbyterian, First Baptist of Springfield, Grace United Methodist, South Street Christian, St. Agnes Catholic, St. Paul United Methodist and Westminster Presbyterian.

The building was donated to the Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau, and grants of $10,000 from both the Community Foundation of the Ozarks and ASC Foundation of the Adorers of the Blood of Christ paid for the renovations.

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