LCOC signs purchase and sale agreement for Thompson’s Printing property in Orleans to expand food access and preparedness
ORLEANS, MA (June 24, 2026) – Lower Cape Outreach Council (LCOC) announced today a major milestone in its Hunger and Hope Can’t Wait Capital Campaign: the organization has signed a purchase and sale agreement to acquire 49–51 Finlay Road in Orleans, currently home to Thompson’s Printing Company, and transform the 11,000-square-foot property into a regional Food Hub Warehouse serving the Lower and Outer Cape. The Thompson family will relocate its business to 102 South Orleans Road in Orleans in January 2027.
The acquisition marks the third and final phase of LCOC’s $3.5 million campaign to modernize its headquarters at 19 Brewster Cross Road and create the food storage and distribution capacity Cape Cod urgently needs. With $1.7 million raised to date and major renovations already completed at LCOC’s main facility—including a new Main Food Pantry, an expanded Katy’s Korner–a free clothing and home goods center, and new intake assistance offices—the campaign is now focused on securing the future of food access for thousands of neighbors facing rising costs, seasonal employment gaps, and growing uncertainty. An additional $1.7 million is needed to acquire Thompson’s building and renovate and equip it for its repurposed use.
“This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to build the infrastructure our community needs before hunger becomes an even deeper crisis,” said Katie Wibby, Chief Executive Officer of Lower Cape Outreach Council. “Our neighbors are working hard, caring for families, and doing their best to stay housed and healthy. But the cost of living on Cape Cod is pushing too many households to the edge. The Food Hub will help us keep pantry shelves stocked, bring more fresh and healthy food into our communities, and respond quickly when emergencies strike.”
LCOC currently operates nine emergency food pantries across Brewster, Chatham, Eastham, Harwich, Orleans, Provincetown, Truro, and Wellfleet, with two pantry locations in Orleans. In 2025, those pantries recorded 24,490 household visits, distributed 57,394 bags of groceries, and benefited from 18,467 volunteer hours. The value of food distributed through the pantry network exceeded $3.1 million—an extraordinary community response to an extraordinary need.
Food insecurity is no longer a hidden challenge on Cape Cod. A recent regional report cited by local food access partners found that roughly one in three Barnstable County residents reported experiencing food insecurity in 2024. For LCOC, these numbers are visible every week in the faces of seniors on fixed incomes, working parents, seasonal employees, and neighbors choosing between groceries, rent, utilities, medicine, and transportation.
The new Food Hub Warehouse will help LCOC do three essential things: bring in more food, store more food safely, and collaborate more effectively across the Cape. Centrally located in Orleans with highway access and a loading dock, the Finlay Road property will allow LCOC to accept full-pallet deliveries, purchase in larger quantities at lower per-item cost and take advantage of more free and low-cost food rescue opportunities. Its open warehouse configuration, steel structure, existing electrical capacity, and natural gas service make it well suited for dry storage, refrigeration, freezer space, shelving systems, and an on-demand generator to protect food supplies during emergencies.
Just as importantly, the Food Hub will be a shared community asset. LCOC already works with more than twenty-five food partners, and the new facility will strengthen that network by expanding the region’s ability to source, store, and distribute nutritious food. Support from The Greater Boston Food Bank, Barnstable County and other partners reflects a shared understanding that hunger cannot be solved by one organization alone; it requires regional infrastructure, trusted partnerships, and sustained community investment.
“Lower Cape Outreach Council has been a strong partner since 2007,” said Michele Fronk Schuckel, Vice President for Community Health and Nutrition of The Greater Boston Food Bank. “We strongly support LCOC’s Food Hub Warehouse initiative as a timely investment to expand reliable, equitable access to healthy food across the Lower and Outer Cape.”
“The need is urgent, as roughly a third of Barnstable County residents have experienced food insecurity in recent years,” said Andrea Scarpallini of the Barnstable County Cape Cod Cooperative Extension. “Investing in food-system capacity is essential to building a healthier, more resilient Cape Cod.”
For donors, the Hunger and Hope Can’t Wait Capital Campaign offers a tangible way to turn concern into lasting change. Gifts to the campaign will help LCOC complete the purchase, prepare the building for food storage and distribution, install refrigeration and freezer capacity, improve emergency readiness, and sustain the dignity-centered services that have made LCOC a lifeline for Lower and Outer Cape families since 1984.
“Combating food insecurity remains LCOC’s highest priority because access to nutritious food is essential to health, wellness, and community resilience,” said Jim Kivlehan, LCOC Board President. “This facility will help make the Lower and Outer Cape a stronger, more prepared, and more thriving place to live. We are asking everyone who loves this community to join us.”
Community members can support the Hunger and Hope Can’t Wait Capital Campaign by making a charitable gift to Lower Cape Outreach Council, P.O. Box 665, Orleans, MA 02653. For giving opportunities or more information, contact the LCOC Development Office at (774) 684-2153 or donations@lcoutreach.org.