The Open Door Pantry

Dropped off a box of food products I'd received from a client. Quick, easy, and lovely. Writing this took at least thrice as long as the entire donation process did. RECIPIENTS: The place is clearly well-attended with several individuals and families in the waiting area awaiting their turn in the three entries per 15-minute arrangement, though everyone is free to take as long as they prefer once in the pantry. The pantry itself is spacious with shelves lining the walls of a large room, bustling with activity from shoppers seeking healthy fare. A mobility bus even stopped right in front of the pantry and assisted elderly attendees to the vehicle. From my understanding, they also operate a mobile food pantry truck. DONORS: The shelves could definitely be fuller especially given the level of activity they clearly see, so feel free to drop by with some gifts! Donations are weighed after separating perishables from non-perishables. The weights are then recorded onto a donation receipt, with a copy handed to the donor to go on their merry way through a separate door - which you should look for upon arriving if you're dropping off food, unlike me who unknowingly waltzed into the main area instead. It's a seemingly little thing, but dignity matters a great deal and is among the first things to feel compromised when dealing with difficult times, and it might not feel that great relying on food pantries for some individuals, so I greatly appreciate The Open Door going that extra mile to keep their recipients' sense of comfort in mind. Well done, team. Due to the nature of the environment, I only took a photo of the front for ease of identification for anyone wanting to find it. It's in a low-key plaza sitting at the foundation level of an apartment building behind the high-end shopping center in the area. Google Maps took me for a little spin, so keep your eyes open!

Well Run! Everyone is professional, options are clearly laid out. Everything was so Clean!

This place barely has any staffing to amswer appt calls nor return them. If you get a callback at all (after you've been on hold 6 minutes per attempt), the person says I'm the only volunteer doing the whole job so I can't keep up. Yet they claim to have 400 volunteers. If you do get an appt, the staff 8j the pantry are "visiting" with each other so you sit for 30 minutes when you should have been done and gone. Many volunteers listen only to speak - not to actually HEAR what you said to them. This "could" be a great placeto go if the admin and workers could ever pull anything together. Constant problems in operational issues.

If I could give this organization 0 stars I would. Fruits and vegetables are ALWAYS over ripe, near rotten and the meats are always stale if not outright rotten. If you choose not to take their fucking rotten food, you can't get extra in another category. Fuck open door pantry.