ALF Food Pantry gets green light to renovate new Atascadero location
Panels for a new walk-in refrigerator and freezer arrive at ALF Food Pantry’s future location at 7380 El Camino Real. Photo courtesy ALF Food Pantry.
Nonprofit hopes to move into former car dealership on El Camino Real before Christmas
– ALF Food Pantry has its building permit in hand and can begin renovating its new location at 7380 El Camino Real in Atascadero, a move the nonprofit has been working toward for seven years, according to the organization.
The City of Atascadero has approved the pantry’s site plan, and panels for its new walk-in refrigerator and freezer have been delivered, the pantry said in a Sept. 24 update.
The pantry, formally Atascadero Loaves & Fishes, serves Atascadero, Templeton, Santa Margarita, Creston, and California Valley. It has outgrown its current location at 5411 El Camino Real, where volunteers work around limited parking and storage and about two dozen appliances spread across small rooms, according to reports.
In 2025, its 41st year, ALF served 5,146 people in 1,767 households and distributed about 700,000 pounds of food over 11,519 pantry visits, according to its website.
ALF bought the new building, the former Ted Miles Motors dealership, earlier this year. Leaders have said they hope it will eventually serve as a campus for other nonprofits as well, and plans include solar panels along with the walk-in refrigeration, KCBX reported in February.
Crews have since replaced the roof, removed two windows and the old heating and air conditioning system to make room for refrigeration, and framed new interview rooms, according to construction updates on the pantry’s blog. The new site will also offer more storage and parking for clients and volunteers.
Crews replace the roof on the new ALF Food Pantry building in August. Photo courtesy ALF Food Pantry.
Pantry President Tim Eckles expects the move to happen before Christmas, though likely not before Thanksgiving, according to reports.
How to help
To help cover the cost of updating the building, ALF is running a “Help ALF Open Our New Doors” dollar-for-dollar matching campaign. The pantry says it has received $40,000 in matching funds and is working to raise the last $10,000 toward its $100,000 goal. Donations must be designated for the matching challenge; online donors can note “for new building” with their gift.
Until the move, the pantry will continue operating at 5411 El Camino Real. Food donations can be dropped off there from 8–10 a.m. and 1–3 p.m. Monday through Friday. The pantry will be closed Nov. 26–27 and Dec. 25.
For more information, to donate or to volunteer, visit alffoodpantry.org, call 805-461-1504 or email contact@alffoodpantry.org.
