What does it mean to design a space where someone’s most basic need is food, and that need is met with dignity? For the team at Schmidt Associates, the answer came to life through our work with Mary Rigg Neighborhood Center on their newly expanded food pantry, a project that is as much about community as it is about design.

Located on Indianapolis’s west side, Mary Rigg has served neighbors for more than 110 years. Each year, the center supports more than 8,000 clients and families through youth and family support, workforce training, and basic needs assistance. The food pantry is one of its most vital lifelines, and demand has only grown.

Pantry participation has grown every year for three consecutive years. The need for more space and a better experience has never been clearer.

A GROCERY STORE EXPERIENCE

The vision for the expanded pantry was simple but powerful: design it to feel like a grocery store, with client choice at every decision.

That choice matters. When people can walk through a space, browse options, and make choices for their families, it provides a sense of agency and respect. The new pantry operates on exactly that model, with refrigeration for fresh meat and dairy, a broader selection of produce and shelf-stable items, and the capacity to serve families three days a week, up from just one.

Previously, the pantry served 100 people each week. The expanded space is equipped to serve about 300 people per week, with infrastructure in place to grow. By partnering with Billie’s Food Pantry, a beloved neighborhood institution that closed after more than 35 years, the new facility also ensures that USDA food subsidies remain in the community where they’re needed most.

EVERY DOLLAR, MAXIMUM IMPACT

For a project like this, the architecture isn’t just about aesthetics. It’s about stewardship. Mary Rigg is a nonprofit operating on donor contributions and community trust. Every dollar invested in this space came from someone who believed in the mission, and that carries real responsibility.

The goal wasn’t to create something impressive on paper. It was to make every decision count, prioritizing the things that would directly serve families, like refrigeration for fresh meat and dairy. The result is a pantry that feels welcoming and dignified not because money was spent freely, but because it was spent wisely.

At Schmidt Associates, servant leadership isn’t a mantra. It’s our mission.

EXPANDED SPACE, EXPANDED HOPE

The grand opening ‘bread breaking’ celebration on Feb. 5, 2026, brought together community leaders, partner organizations, and neighbors for a ceremonial bread-breaking, a fitting symbol for a space built around nourishment and connection.

Heather Pease, president of Mary Rigg Neighborhood Center, captured the spirit of the moment: “This new pantry represents more than expanded space. It represents expanded hope. With refrigeration, more service days, and a broader selection of fresh food, we can increase choice and access to healthy options. When basic needs are met, families can focus on other goals.”

The impact was felt most acutely by those the pantry serves. Candy Miles, a long-time West Indianapolis resident and Mary Rigg client, spoke at the opening: “The pantry has been a lifeline for my family. The refrigerators at the new pantry mean more fresh food. It feels like a place that truly cares for my family and my neighbors.”

A SHARED VISION FOR CHANGE

At Schmidt Associates, we believe that great design has the power to change lives, not in an abstract way, but in real, measurable terms. This project brought new life to a vacant strorefront along Morris Street back to the neighborhood. The Mary Rigg Food Pantry is proof that when purposeful design meets disciplined stewardship, the result serves a community far beyond what any single donation or decision could accomplish alone.

A neighbor walks in. They choose what their family needs. They leave with fresh food and their dignity intact.

That’s what we design for.

To learn more about the services provided, donate or volunteer at the Mary Rigg Neighborhood Center, visit maryrigg.org.