The future of the River City Bread Basket on North Winchester Avenue in Waynesboro is now in the hands of City Council.
The client-choice food pantry would like to purchase the property it is currently renting but needs the city’s stamp of approval first since the location would put it in an area zoned for residential development.
The LIFEworks Project, which operates the food pantry, is asking the city for a conditional use permit to continue operations at the address if they purchase the property.
Up until now, the city has treated the pantry as an accessory to the existing church which owns the property, even though the pantry is independently owned and operated and rents the space from the church.
The River City Bread Basket is currently located at 505 N. Winchester Ave. The organization is looking to purchase the property and potentially expand the footprint to provide additional space for the food pantry operations.
Because it is located in a general residential district, known as RG-5, a conditional use permit would be required for the pantry to continue at the location if they own it themselves. Food pantries are permitted in the city through a CUP.
City staff made a short presentation to City Council at its regular meeting Monday night before a public hearing was held. In addition to the applicant, six people spoke in favor of the pantry and the conditional use permit. No one spoke in opposition to the potential purchase and rezoning.
Waynesboro Director of Community Development Leslie Tate told council members that the comprehensive plan designates the area as medium density residential. The broader area, she said, includes a mix of residential, commercial and industrial uses. She said the use as a pantry “would not be inconsistent” with the surrounding uses.
“The LIFEworks Project came to us because they are considering purchasing the property from the church and then also potentially expanding some storage space at that location,” said Tate in her presentation to Council. “In order to protect their investment moving forward, recognizing that it is not an accessory use to the existing church, it’s a stand-alone use, that’s why staff would recommend taking them through this conditional use process.”
The co-founder of the LIFEworks project and the River City Bread Basket, A.J. Young, told council members a bit about the evolution of the organization that began with his wife and him feeding anywhere from 20 to 60 people in their living room at the height of COVID.
“My wife and I decided there were folks that were unsheltered that needed to eat and needed hygiene products that needed to be served,” he said.
To meet the need and provide practical support to everyday people, the couple began outreach at Fairfax Hall, Springdale Apartments and on Commerce Avenue in Waynesboro, and later, added Frontier Drive in Staunton.
The client-choice food pantry opened in 2023 and was designed to allow those in need to get what they wanted instead of a box curated with items they may or may not use.
Young told Council that the space on North Winchester Avenue is ideal because it is pedestrian friendly and a good location for their customers.
“We love the space. We’d like to stay in the space,” he said. “We love the neighborhood.”
LIFEworks Project board member and volunteer Renee Herrell said the pantry is providing families with food so they can still pay their rent and get prescriptions filled. Most of their customers are working, she said during the public hearing, but are still struggling to make ends meet.
“It is such a wonderful space for the community to go to be able to shop to get needed food,” Herrell said. “I can’t tell you how many people will say to me, ‘I don’t know what we would do without you because we really need to food to help make ends meet.’
The clientele includes all age ranges: a mix of families, senior citizens and younger people.
A young child recently said: “‘I looked in our refrigerator at home, and we didn’t have any food,’ and I said, well I’m really glad you are here today so that you can get some food.”
“Weve been there awhile now. We’ve established a presence,” Herrell said. “People depend on us being there.
“That’s why it’s so important for us to be able to stay there so that we can serve these people who have come to depend on us to get the food that they need for their families and for elders who would otherwise not get the food that they need.
Vote on permit scheduled for later this month
City staff and the Waynesboro Planning Commission recommended the approval of the conditional use permit.
After the public hearing was closed, the ordinance was introduced by Council member Jim Wood, and it was seconded by Vice Mayor Lorie Jean Akanbi.
Mayor Kenny Lee has said while the city found no conflict, he plans to recuse himself on the vote on the matter because he serves on the Board of Trustees for the church that owns the property.
City Council will vote on the conditional use permit at its next regular meeting on June 23.
The meeting will take place at 7 p.m. in City Council chambers in the Charles T. Yancey Municipal Building at 503 W. Main St. in Downtown Waynesboro.
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Crystal Graham
