Salvation Army Spokane is tentatively preparing to reopen its food pantry at the end of October after completing a renovation intended to more than double usable floor space and add a new waiting room.

The pantry, which will be renamed to Hope Market, is located on the Salvation Army Spokane’s campus at 204 E. Indiana. The project is valued at approximately $500,000 and is intended to more than double the available space in the market, says Capt. David Cain, of the Salvation Army Spokane.

“(The pantry) was still a shopping experience, but it was so small that we didn't have a chance to really display everything that was available,” says Cain. “It was like this tiny little room where we were serving over 100 households every day.”

The total renovated area is 2,200 square feet, according to permit information on file with the city of Spokane. The extra space for the market comes from unused office space bordering the preexisting pantry which has been demolished, plans show. The new market area will feature a vestibule, new garage doors which lead directly into the warehouse where food is stored, and additional fridge and freezer space.

Volunteers who assist at the market will have access to a small, enclosed front-desk area with large, Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant counters facing the new waiting room and expanded pantry area. The increased visibility into both areas will make it easier to operate the market with less volunteers, says Cain.

“To have this expanded area where there's better aesthetics and better lighting and opportunities to serve and meet people where they are — that's really important,” says Cain.

Spokane-based MMEC Architecture & Interiors LLC is designing the tenant improvement project, Spokane-based Leone & Keeble Inc. is the general contractor, and Spokane-based Morrish Design Group PLLC, which does business as Morrish Design, is providing engineering services, permit information shows.

Funding for the expansion was provided through a $500,000 Community Development Block Grant awarded to Salvation Army Spokane by the city of Spokane’s Community, Housing and Human Services Department earlier this year. The grant is provided through funds given to the city of Spokane by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to support programs that benefit low- and moderate-income individuals, according to the city of Spokane’s website.

While renovations are underway, the pantry is being operated out of a neighboring building on the organization’s campus, at 223 E. Nora. However, part of the operation is outside, and Cain says he hopes to move back into Hope Market before winter.

The organization has owned the property at 204 E. Indiana, since purchasing it for $800,000 in 1999, according to Washington state tax records.