Local leaders, neighborhood advocates, and Emmanuel Church members and volunteers gathered Saturday to break ground for the new Adopt-A-Block Outreach Center on Benny Street in Salisbury.

Adopt-A-Block Executive Director Mark Thompson said the 5,000-square-foot food pantry will make it easier to meet the needs of the Church Street community.

For years, Adopt-A-Block has been delivering food year round and presents for the holidays, greatly transforming the neighborhood and improving residents’ quality of life.

“We are going to have a food pantry that offers clients a choice,” Thompson said. “Instead of us giving them a bag of what they don’t want, we can walk them in and as we talk they can shop for what they need.”

Thompson said the goal is to create a true community center with services for all within walking distance.

“We will have areas where people can do artwork, relax, get off the street, learn jobs. We will have a computer station working on resume building – we want to be whatever the needs are,” Thomspon said.

Keith Fisher of Fisher Architecture in Salisbury is the building’s designer. Construction is expected to begin Jan. 9.

Adopt-A-Block is the community outreach missions team at Emmanuel. For eight years, the program’s volunteers have delivered meals door-to-door around the Church Street and Doverdale neighborhoods. In 2020, the program joined the Lower Shore Vulnerable Populations Task Force, Maryland Food Bank, and other organizations to host and participate in drive-thru community distributions.