Renewed Hope Food Pantry feeds about 300 families a week at New Haven Seventh-Day Adventist Church in Overland Park.

Director Karen Whitson said demand at the pantry tripled during the COVID-19 pandemic and has not dropped since, as KSHB 41 reported Thursday, Oct. 8. Each week, 15 to 20 families show up for the first time.

"We have new people coming all the time," Whitson said.

Many of those newcomers say they never expected to need help, Whitson told KSHB 41. Ashley Moore, an Overland Park resident who homeschools three boys, is among the families in line. She said egg prices alone have squeezed her household of six, jumping from about $1 to $2 a carton to $5.

The strain extends well beyond one pantry. Harvesters, the food bank network that supplies Renewed Hope and more than 600 other agencies, reported in August that 15.1% of residents across its 27-county service area face hunger. One in five children in the region lacks consistent access to enough food, a 17% jump over the previous year, according to KCTV5. Kansas saw a 7% drop in SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, participation between January 2025 and January 2026, The Beacon reported.

Harvesters said federal assistance was higher during the pandemic, meaning the number of people struggling to eat is actually greater now than at the height of COVID-19.

Renewed Hope is a Harvesters Community Food Network agency and an Adventist Community Services center. The pantry runs drive-through distributions at 8714 Antioch Road on Tuesdays from 10 to 11 a.m. and Thursdays from 5:45 to 6:30 p.m., or while supplies last, according to the pantry's website. It also operates a "Hope Bus" mobile unit that visits AdventHealth South Overland Park on the first Wednesday of each month and AdventHealth Shawnee Mission in Merriam on the fourth Wednesday.

The organization partners with the Johnson County Library's Community Connections initiative at Central Resource Library in Overland Park. Pastor Ben Williams, speaking for Renewed Hope in an Aug. 31 library blog post, said the library space helps the team reach people who might otherwise go without assistance.

Whitson said the pantry depends on community donations to keep pace with demand. Residents can drop off food from 8 to 9 a.m. Monday, Tuesday and Friday, or 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. Sunday at the Antioch Road location. The pantry asks donors to call 913-263-2802 before arriving. Volunteers age 14 and older can sign up for Tuesday shifts through the VOMO platform.

Upcoming community calendar

• Renewed Hope drive-through pantry: Tuesdays, 10 to 11 a.m., and Thursdays, 5:45 to 6:30 p.m., at 8714 Antioch Road, Overland Park.
• Hope Bus at AdventHealth South Overland Park: First Wednesday of each month, 3 to 4:30 p.m.
• Hope Bus at AdventHealth Shawnee Mission (Merriam): Fourth Wednesday of each month, 3 to 4:30 p.m.