Cook Shed Transformed into Food Pantry - Cook Portable Warehouses

There’s nothing more rewarding than seeing your life’s work being used for a higher purpose than oneself. We were so excited to partner with Pigeon Township in Evansville, IN to help them find the right portable building for their vision of opening a food pantry in what they call a “food desert.”

That means there’s nowhere within walking distance of this neighborhood to get food or main supplies. The township office gives out food vouchers, but the issue came when there were only two places those vouchers were accepted locally.

Township Trustee Mariama Wilson purchased a Cook shed from our Evansville dealer Pat Meehan a year or two ago. As the township started planning this project, she called him up again. After sharing their vision, Pat worked with them to get the 12 x 32 foot Premium Lofted Cabin that was delivered in February. The township then worked with a contractor to finish out the inside of the shed, complete with electricity and a handicap ramp.

Pat was excited to see the finished shed. “We did a food drive for them and collected 5-6 big boxes from people from all sides of town after advertising it on Facebook,” Pat said.

William Payne, the Pigeon Township Community Activity Coordinator spoke to the crowd at the ribbon cutting, explaining the impact the food pantry would have on the community and the other initiatives they were working on. He said: “I want to also thank Mr. Pat Meehan with Cook buildings. Not only did they help us get this building, they also gave us an extra storage unit while the building was being worked on, for donations, so people were dropping off donations out there.”

Watch a Facebook video of the ribbon cutting from one of the attendees and get a quick tour at the end of the video to see the stocked food pantry.

The local 14 News station has continued to cover the story since the idea first came up. Here, you can see their video about the ribbon cutting. If you’re interested in helping Pigeon Township by way of donations, contact them today.

We’ve seen people do a lot of different things with their Cook shed and we’re excited to see this as a part of the list! From she sheds, to full woodworking workshops, to offices and more, a Cook shed makes a great blank canvas. Are you dreaming of what a portable shed can help you do? We can help!