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A new food pantry to serve the three-county community around Bulls Gap is one step closer to reality pending registration with the state of Tennessee.

The Bulls Gap Regional Food Pantry will serve residents in Greene, Hamblen and Hawkins counties who live in the Bulls Gap area.

Every volunteer who signs up will have voting rights for the organization, according to the bylaws which were passed.

Saturday at First United Methodist Church Bulls Gap, officers were elected to head the effort.

Kimberly Davis will serve as president of the newly-minted organization; Rev. Vic Trobaugh, pastor of BGFUMC and Otes United Methodist churches, will serve as vice-president; Sharon Williams-Moore will act as secretary and Carol Bowers will serve as treasurer. Nancy Williams is in charge of communications.

“I have a passion of trying to help other people,” Davis said.

“We’ve had support from Otes, Bulls Gap Baptist and Bulls Gap First UMC,” Bulls Gap City Administrator Mike Solomon said. “Any organizations that want to be a part of this should let us know.”

A preliminary board of directors was also chosen with Mack Murr of the Bulls Gap Railroad Museum, Missy Zepeda of Bulls Gap First Baptist Church and Bulls Gap Alderman member Susan Williams representing the town. When the full board is completed with representatives of any other organization participating in the pantry, board members will be elected for two-year terms. The board of directors will serve one year until 2024 when the board will be elected to two-year terms.

“This is an odd-numbered year,” Solomon said. “This is an interim board of directors. That way we’ll get on the cycle that the bylaws call, get a better footing for what we need to do and what’s involved in doing everything.

“It’s easier to assemble the board officers and the board of directors for a business meeting than have the whole membership,” Solomon said. “It’s easier to get the small group together to make decisions and then bring it before the rest of the membership. The Board expedites things for the membership.”

Volunteer signup sheets were available and copies of the bylaws were distributed.

Zepeda is also providing startup funds and food to begin the pantry, including five cases of vegetables and two cases of tuna.

She also has shelving that will be available to use when the pantry opens. A preliminary location for the pantry is a building located near the Archie Campbell Homeplace and City Hall.

The organization is in process of becoming a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit with the state. That process will take four to six weeks.

The next meeting will be held at 10 a.m., Saturday, April 15 at the First UMC of Bulls Gap fellowship hall.