Founded decades ago by the late villager Mary Ann Bebko in her garage, the Yellow Springs Food Pantry moved to the United Methodist Church on South Winter Street in 2005 and was then managed by the late Patty McAllister. In 2015, McAllister stepped down from the position, and Paula Hurwitz then stepped into the role of director. In 2019, the Pantry became a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and in 2023, with the support of the Methodist Church, it moved to the Central Chapel AME Church on South High Street which provides improved accessibility for its visitors. After almost 11 years of service in this role, Paula stepped down as Director in January 2026, and the Board elected Bethany Gray to the role.
This Pantry is sustained by generous donations of food, money, time and in-kind support from residents, churches, businesses, schools and organizations of the Yellow Springs & Clifton communities. It is currently managed by an all-volunteer Board of Trustees with the ongoing support of dedicated community volunteers and donors. Since 2020, we have typically served between 20-40 households every month with supplemental food and household items, and we have continued to serve new households on a regular basis. In 2025, we served 122 households at least once during the year.
In addition, we have:
* provided supplemental food distribution to children in our community through the Yellow Springs Schools and
the John Bryan Community Youth Center
* provided emergency grocery distributions during the Covid-19 pandemic and for other circumstances
* provided additional grocery support to households during the holiday season
* supported area weekend food distribution on the third Saturdays
The Pantry's schedule is also published weekly in the Yellow Springs News and is available on our Facebook page.
This organization does not discriminate and welcomes all in need of its services.
2026 Board of Trustees
Bethany Gray, Chair / Executive Director
Paula Hurwitz, Vice Chair / Assistant Director
Lisa Russell, Treasurer
Sara Martin, Secretary
Margaret Veenstra, Member at Large
Sustaining Operational Support Partners
Central Chapel AME Church
PORCH Yellow Springs
Yellow Springs Community Foundation