Mary Jane Bailey wants to see a new food pantry built in her lifetime. Thanks to her late friend Theresa Downing, that wish is about to come true.

Two years ago, Downing left $1 million in her will to build a new pantry at Christ the King Parish in downtown Concord. The parish is planning to start construction on a $2.4 million project later this year.

Bailey, who has volunteered at the pantry for over 40 years, was at a loss for words when she learned the news.

“I was thrilled to death that she thought that much about people that were so needy for food,” she said. “I can’t even explain how shocked I was. I was ecstatic.”

Bailey met Downing years ago in the Concord School District. Bailey was a teacher’s aide in Downing’s classroom for nearly two decades. Most days after school, Bailey would take her own children to the store to purchase food to donate to the local pantry.

Downing was always curious, she said. And ultimately she was motivated to get involved.

“Here I am, a wife, a mother to little kids and I took time every day, with my kids when they could, to go pick up stuff for the food pantry,” said Bailey. “That made a big influence on her that there were so many people that needed food.”

Now with Downing’s bequest, Christ the King will build a brand new grocery-style food pantry. Clients will be able to shop through the interior of the store and take what they need, instead of prepackaged boxes that are now offered.

The facility will also house a walk-in fridge and office space to meet with clients in private.

And it will be a stark upgrade to the current building that houses the pantry.

Tucked in a small house on the Christ the King Parish campus, boxes of dried goods and cans fill shelves on the first floor. In the kitchen, a couple of household fridges and freezers hold dairy items and frozen food.

When deliveries come in, volunteers unload crates into the basement of the house. It’s a tedious feat on old, rickety stairs.

Four nights a week, clients can come to the porch of the house and receive a box of prepackaged goods, enough for nine individual meals. Screenings – where clients share their income and household size – take place at a small desk in the back corner of the kitchen, with little to no privacy for those seeking food.

The old house will now be knocked down to accommodate the new facility.

When the Rev. Richard Roberge became the pastor 13 years ago, he always hoped to remodel or rebuild the pantry. Conversations had been in the works to do so for years, and over the last two decades, $400,000 was set aside.

A $250,000 donation from the Diocese of Manchester compliments Downing’s contribution. Now, the pantry is looking to raise $750,000 more to meet the total building costs.

When Bailey hosts high school students at the pantry, who often need to complete service hours for graduation requirements, she first pulls them aside and offers some advice.

They may recognize some of the people seeking food, she tells them. Don’t be judgmental.

“The need has just grown so much,” she said. “I would say that 75% of people that come in are working. But they’re not making enough money to pay rent.”

In 2023, the pantry distributed food to an average of 53 households and 114 individuals a week. That comes out to nearly 66,150 meals served over the year.

Bailey remembers when the pantry had barely a dozen items to distribute. At best, people could receive peanut butter, jelly and a loaf of bread. The pantry’s stock was predominately from volunteers.

Now food from USDA, the food bank in Manchester and donations round out the pantry stock. And soon, the grocery store-style pantry will provide more choice for the people they serve.

“I’m excited about having a nice, safe, clean, welcoming space,” Bailey said. “The clients are going to love it. And we love serving them because they’re so appreciative.”