The Stanly Community Christian Ministry opened a new food pantry in Norwood last week. The pantry is at 247 W. Turner St. in the Norwood Community Building.

It is the third food pantry in Stanly, along with the Albemarle food pantry in the SCCM building and a food pantry operated by West Stanly Christian Ministries in Stanfield.

The Norwood food pantry had a soft opening from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. April 2. It will be open each Tuesday during that time, said Lindsay Carter, director of development and marketing for SCCM.

The SCCM food pantry serves individuals and families who are up to 200 percent of the poverty level in terms of income, Carter said.

“That is the only qualification for food,” she said.

Every 30 days, individuals and families will be able to come to the Norwood food pantry to receive a government prepackaged box of essential food items, through the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP). It is a federal program that helps supplement the diets of low-income Americans, including elderly people, by providing them with emergency food and nutrition assistance at no cost.

Every 60 days, low-income individuals and families will be able to receive a box of the most common food staples provided by the community, including canned meats, fruits and vegetables, along with pasta, soups, breakfast items and miscellaneous items like peanut butter and rice. Some of the food will also be purchased by the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

The food is delivered to the pantry by the Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina in Charlotte.

Unlike the Albemarle food pantry, where people can come shop for different foods, the Norwood food pantry, which is much smaller, has staff and volunteers who present clients with boxes of food.

The amount of food people can take from the pantry is determined by poundage, based on the number of people in the household, Carter said.

More than 50 volunteers have expressed interest in working at the Norwood pantry and SCCM recently had a volunteer training at the pantry during which 42 volunteers showed up, Carter said.

“The community is just excited about it,” she said.

“The abundance of folks who have volunteered to serve at the SCCM Food Pantry in Norwood reflects the concern folks have for their neighbors,” said the Rev. Mary Hatley of Cedar Grove United Methodist Church in Norwood, a member of the Norwood Ministerial Association.

The Town of Norwood and the Norwood Ministerial Association have partnered with SCCM in helping open a food pantry. The town and SCCM reached an agreement to open the Norwood food pantry last October.

“It’s been a dream of the Norwood Ministerial Association for years to bring a food pantry to Norwood,” said the Rev. Bill Roberts of First United Methodist Church of Norwood, who is also a SCCM board member.