Opportunity Enterprises (OE) is launching the Shared Table Food Pantry, an initiative in partnership with the Food Bank of Northwest Indiana network. The Shared Table Food Pantry will help expand food sourcing and expand the organization’s impact in Porter County.
“When local pantries and organizations unite, we create a network of support that ensures no one in our community faces food insecurity alone,” OE Chief Business Operations Officer Rich Bugajski said. “By building trust and sharing resources, we strengthen our collective ability to help those in need, lifting each other up, one meal at a time.”
Open and free to the public, the pantry will also function as a career lab to enhance OE’s efforts in preparing individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities for the workforce. Participants in OE’s Career Connections program will use the pantry to gain customer service skills while learning about inventory management, point of sale systems and teamwork.
To commemorate this project, OE is hosting a ribbon cutting on Wednesday, June 18 at 4:30 pm. The Shared Table Food Pantry is located at OE’s door 6 at 2801 Evans Avenue in Valparaiso.
About Opportunity Enterprises, Inc.
For nearly 60 years, Opportunity Enterprises has worked to create inclusive and equitable opportunities for people of all abilities. OE is in the business of amazing people, with approximately 400 staff serving over 1,000 people each year. For more information, visit www.oppent.org.
Jon, a member of OE’s Career Connections, works the register at the organization’s new Shared Table Pantry, which provides free food to community members in need and doubles as a career lab for individuals to receive job training and gain customer service skills.