Food and family support volunteering near Avis, PA
How to volunteer with the food pantry near Avis PA. The New Love Center runs Pantry Choice at 263 Henry Street in South Avis. Pack, stock, and help neighbors.
Feeding a household in Avis can come down to a trip to the food pantry on Henry Street and the people who keep it stocked. Most of that work is volunteers. They pack boxes, stock shelves, and direct cars on distribution days, and the nonprofit behind the pantry has grown so fast in the last few years that it almost always needs more hands than it has.
Who runs the food pantry in Avis?
The New Love Center does. It is a nonprofit headquartered in South Avis that grew out of an earlier soup kitchen and food pantry in the Jersey Shore area. When that operation was near closing, area churches and residents rebuilt it under a new name, and it has been expanding ever since. Its Pantry Choice distribution runs from the center's annex at 263 Henry Street in South Avis, so for Avis residents help is close by rather than a drive to Lock Haven.
Pantry Choice works like a small grocery store, not a pre-packed handout. Guests bring an ID, register, and pick their own food from the shelves. Distributions happen twice a month, and the coverage area reaches well past the borough line: Avis, McElhattan, Woolrich, Lock Haven, Jersey Shore, Linden, Nippenose Valley, Waterville, Cammal, and Slate Run.
The scale would surprise anyone who still pictures a church-basement operation. The center served 15,580 people across 6,313 households in 2022, then 35,672 people across 14,969 households in 2023. Its budget quadrupled in four years, and it now spends more than $200,000 a year on food. In a single month in fall 2025, the pantry and its mobile service together served 2,007 people. "We are absolutely preparing for an increase in the number of neighbors who may need our help going into November," executive director Holly Beaver told The Express that October, ahead of a pause in federal food aid.
What do pantry volunteers actually do?
The center's standing request is plain: it needs parking and packing volunteers at the pantry distribution, twice a month at 263 Henry Street. Parking volunteers keep the line of cars moving on distribution days. Packers fill and carry the orders guests choose. Beyond distribution days, The Express lists shelf stocking, greeting guests, and helping at mobile pantry runs among the jobs that need doing. Across all its programs, the center runs on 800 to 1,000 volunteer hours every month. Beaver put it simply: "Volunteers are vital to helping us serve well."
None of this needs special training. If you can lift a box, count to a case, and show up when you say you will, you can be useful. A few hours on a regular day of the month are worth more to a pantry than a big group that comes once and never returns, because the work repeats on a schedule and the center needs people it can count on. To see what is posted right now, check the current openings, and remember that a lot of pantry help gets arranged by a phone call, not a listing. The center's volunteer number is 570-873-3339.
What else does the New Love Center run?
The pantry is the biggest program but not the only one, and the others take volunteer hands too.
The Cafe serves a free weekday lunch at Trinity United Methodist Church, 1407 Allegheny Street in Jersey Shore. Coffee and baked goods come out at 8:30 a.m. and lunch runs from 11:00 to 12:30. Anyone can eat there, no paperwork required, and in that same fall 2025 month it served 1,240 meals.
The BackPack Program sends more than 200 bags of food home each week with elementary and middle school students in the Jersey Shore Area School District, the district Avis Elementary belongs to. Between backpacks and other school programs, the center reached nearly 800 students in a month.
The mobile pantry is a 24-foot trailer that carries food to towns without a pantry of their own, at sites across Clinton and Lycoming counties including Renovo and Lock Haven. It added a Beech Creek stop in January 2026. Military Shares hands about 90 food boxes to local veterans through American Legion Post 36 on the third Thursday of each month, 9 to 11 a.m., with a military ID required. Elder Share does similar work for residents over 60 who meet income guidelines, and the Fresh Food Farmacy, a partnership with Geisinger, pairs groceries with coaching for people managing diabetes.
Are there other places to help with food and family needs?
Yes. Avis United Methodist Church, at 215 Prospect Avenue, runs community outreach in town, which is another way to support neighbors close to home. Churches often handle things a formal pantry does not, like holiday meals or help for a specific family, so the two kinds of groups tend to fill different gaps. The church office number is 570-753-8137.
If you want the wider picture first, our food pantry volunteering across the county page pulls together the county-level options in one spot. It is a good starting point if you are open to driving a little or if the Avis distribution does not need help the week you are free. Reaching out to more than one group also raises the odds you find a shift that fits your schedule.
How do I get started in Avis?
Pick one group and contact it directly. For pantry work, call the New Love Center's volunteer line at 570-873-3339, or reach the office at 570-244-8838 or info@thenewlovecenter.com. For church-based outreach, call Avis United Methodist Church. Ask two things: when do you need help, and what should I bring or know before I show up. A short call or email usually settles it. We list programs and point you to the organization. We do not sign you up or place you.
One more number worth writing down, whichever side of the table you are on: the center's emergency food line is 570-772-3275.
If you would rather browse before you commit, start with volunteer opportunities in Avis and read our full Avis volunteering guide for the broader rundown of local groups. Avis is small, about 1,500 people, so a lot of the work connects. If food is not your thing, the Avis fire company and community events covers a different side of town life. And if you want to look past the borough, neighboring McElhattan has its own listings, as does the county-wide guide to volunteering across Clinton County.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a food pantry that serves Avis, PA?
Yes, and it is close to home. The New Love Center runs its Pantry Choice distribution from the annex at 263 Henry Street in South Avis, twice a month. Guests bring an ID, register, and choose their own groceries from the shelves. The distribution covers Avis, McElhattan, Woolrich, Lock Haven, Jersey Shore, and several nearby communities. Check thenewlovecenter.com or call 570-244-8838 for current dates before you go.
Do I need experience to volunteer at a food pantry near Avis?
No. The New Love Center's standing request is for parking and packing volunteers on distribution days, and other jobs include stocking shelves and greeting guests. None of it requires training. If you can lift a box and keep a regular schedule, you can help. Call the volunteer line at 570-873-3339 to ask what a shift involves and when they need people.
What else can I do besides pantry work in Avis?
The New Love Center's other programs need help too: the free weekday Cafe in Jersey Shore, the BackPack Program for Jersey Shore Area School District students, and the mobile pantry that carries food to towns like Renovo and Beech Creek. Avis United Methodist Church runs community outreach in town. For the county-wide view, browse the food pantry volunteering page for Clinton County and contact whichever group has a role that fits your time.
What if I need food rather than a volunteer shift?
Come to a distribution at 263 Henry Street with an ID, or call the New Love Center's emergency food line at 570-772-3275 if the need cannot wait. The Cafe at Trinity United Methodist Church in Jersey Shore serves a free lunch on weekdays, open to anyone. As executive director Holly Beaver put it, "No one should hesitate to ask for help."