The Community Food Basket of Ottawa was formed as a joint .venture between the United Way and area churches.  We opened our doors in May 1998. Today we operate as an independent 501(c)(3) organization.

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We are governed by a volunteer Board of Directors, drawn from our community, and are managed by small staff.  All other work is done by our amazing volunteers!

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In fall of 2018, the Board of Directors made the monumental decision to take steps to convert our service to a client choice food pantry. A 12-month plan that included a remodel, expansion and switch to client choice was enacted in 2019. 

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We closed our doors on December 26, 2019 and began renovations the very next day. Construction ran through the end of January. We re-opened for client choice shopping on February 3, 2020.