Prodisee Pantry, an emergency food bank and disaster relief nonprofit based in Spanish Fort, gave away 1.4 million pounds of food last year across 164 distributions to 11,102 families throughout Baldwin County — and the organization is now preparing to open a second location to reach families further north in the county.
Executive Director Deann Servos, this year’s Reader’s Choice Award winner for “Best Baldwinian Right Now,” said the pantry’s model goes beyond simply handing out groceries. “You can feed someone forever, but that’s not our goal,” Servos said. “I like our model because we get to know people and can help them change their situation. If someone needs food, something else is going on that needs to be addressed. If we can help somebody get a job, then that’s life-changing.”
Every week, Prodisee Pantry holds distributions primarily out of its Spanish Fort location, sending families home with shopping carts full of fresh food — at least 100 pounds per family. Representatives from partner organizations including the Lighthouse women’s shelter, the Drug Education Council and Veterans Affairs attend distributions to help connect families to additional services beyond food.
“We understand by the grace of God, any of us could be in the situation where we need help,” Servos said. “I always say it could be a couple missed paychecks, a natural disaster, a pandemic. Anything could put you in line for groceries.” Servos founded the grassroots ministry with two church friends in 2003 and has led it since 2005, and staff say they aim to treat every family that comes through with “dignity and grace” no matter how many times they return.
The pantry sources food through a mix of channels: purchasing at reduced rates from partners like Feeding the Gulf Coast, and receiving donations from local vendors including Publix and area farmers such as Grass Hopper Farms in Robertsdale and Ole House Farms in Loxley. In May, the pantry installed a 24-by-24-by-12-foot freezer room to expand its frozen food storage capacity.
The bigger change is still to come: Prodisee Pantry is preparing to break ground on a second facility, Prodisee Pantry North, near Bicentennial Park in Stockton, on 4.5 acres of land donated by the Baldwin County Commission. The pantry is actively fundraising to construct the new building and hopes to be operating there by next summer. “Historically, 42 percent of our families have come from Stockton, north,” Servos said. “Baldwin County’s huge. We’re a county the size of Rhode Island, and that northern part of the community has been more marginalized over time.”