Family members of lifelong Cumberland resident Delma Branch, members of Cumberland Community Cares (CCC) and representatives of Richmond-based FeedMore held a ribbon cutting for Delma’s Pantry, located at the former Cumberland County Social Services office at 1550 Anderson Highway on Friday.

The pantry will be open on the first and fourth Saturdays of each month from 8:30-10:30 a.m.

The pantry will be equipped with a stainless steel refrigerator and a freezer each with double doors. They are expected to be delivered next week.

The mobile pantry will continue to operate with its next distribution on Feb. 12.

Bags of groceries were already packed in anticipation of the pantry’s next distribution, which took place Saturday.

The pantry is named after Delma Branch, who had committed for providing food for the area’s hungry.

Family members and community organizers also cited that in addition to volunteering for years at the food bank, Branch worked for Cumberland County Public Schools and had been an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) for the area rescue squad, her church and had volunteered and substitute taught at Cumberland County Public Schools.

Delma passed away in July.

Cassandra Baker, Delma’s daughter, spoke prior to the ribbon cutting thanking community members and leaders and speaking about the food bank and the impact her mother and community organizers have left.

“This is really an honor,” Baker said. “Everybody has really worked hard, and we really appreciate it.”

CCC President Doris Seal spoke about meeting Delma, and their years of working together.

“We had just enjoyed each other’s company,” Seal said. “If I needed her or she needed me or if we needed a shoulder, it felt like we both shared a lot of the same interests.”

“Delma was a very special person,” Seal said. “I know Delma would just be so excited.”

Seal spoke enthusiastically about the food bank, which received nonprofit status in November and had been approved to move into the former Cumberland County Social Services building by the Cumberland County Board of Supervisors.

“We’re so happy that Vivian (Seay Giles) and Kevin (Ingle) and that all of the board members were willing to make Delma’s pantry come true,” Seal said.

FeedMore Southwest Regional Manager Anthony “AJ” Johnson spoke about the Cumberland food bank’s impact on the area, citing that in 2017, the CCC’s mobile pantry had distributed more than 89,000 pounds of food that had been collected and that more than 2,200 households in the area had received food from the mobile pantry.

He said in those households, an estimated more than 2,100 adults, more than 1,800 children and more than 1,900 seniors were fed.

Johnson said this would add up to more than 5,500 families that were fed as a result of the food bank.

He said this feat was accomplished “because of the mobile pantry and because of what you guys are doing to volunteer to help make this a success,” Johnson said. “Know you have FeedMore’s support, and just keep doing what you’re doing.”

He said he remembers when distributions would take place at the Cumberland County ballpark, and seeing area law enforcement and community members offer support.

“It was amazing to me, coming from Richmond to see local police and local first responders involved in the community like they were,” Johnson said. “I took back to Richmond, I said, ‘this is what serving is all about.’”

Seal and Nathan Branch, Delma’s husband, cut the ribbon.