High Point pantry warns food could run out in days

Open Door Ministries of High Point said its shelves and refrigerators were running so low that the pantry could be out of food in just three days, a warning that lands in a city where more than 800 people are now depending on the nonprofit for groceries and emergency help.

The shortage hit after a recent shipment arrived spoiled, further thinning already limited reserves. Staff and volunteers said demand has climbed sharply, with more first-time visitors showing up from households that never expected to need a pantry. CEO Ryan Ross said the need has grown alongside broader cost pressures, including gas prices near $4.20, as working families struggle to keep up with rent, fuel and food at the same time.

Open Door Ministries has served High Point for decades. Its roots date to 1968, when Urban Ministries was founded, and the current organization formed in 1995 through a merger that brought Open Door Shelter and Urban Ministries together at 400 N. Centennial St. The ministry’s work now stretches beyond food, with housing and emergency assistance also part of its mission.

The crisis at the pantry reflects a larger problem across Guilford County. County data showed 82,510 residents were food insecure in 2023, including 27,110 children. The county’s overall food insecurity rate stood at 15.2 percent, and the child food insecurity rate was 22.5 percent. County figures also showed that only 18.7 percent of residents received SNAP benefits in 2021, while 37 percent fell into the SNAP gap, earning too much for assistance but still not enough to afford groceries comfortably.

That gap has made local pantries more important, especially in High Point, Greensboro, Archdale, Trinity and Jamestown, where families often turn to community food sites when paychecks fall short. Guilford County launched OneGuilford: Support Our Pantries in response to the federal SNAP benefits pause that took effect Nov. 1, 2025, and the Greater High Point Food Alliance warned that thousands of neighbors in High Point would lose access to SNAP and WIC benefits starting that same date.

Guilford County’s food security work, created in 2022 through the Cooperative Extension office with ARPA funds, also includes the Greater Guilford Food Finder app, which helps residents locate pantries, free meals and community kitchens. For Open Door Ministries, though, the need is immediate. With only a few days of food left, the pantry is asking donations at its High Point location, and even small contributions now could determine whether hundreds of neighbors leave with food or leave empty-handed.