St. Juan Diego St Vincent de Paul Food Pantry

On October 31, we will complete the first year of operation of our food pantry. During this time we have served about 1400 families representing over 5000 individuals ...we distributed over 50 tons of food from our conveted elementary school portable! Beyond the numbers,  community has been created among  our wonderful volunteers and guests. The pantry is a place people truly enjoy coming.

The need in our community continues to grow. It is now not unsual to see 15 to 20 clients on one the days that we are open. The demand is more consistent through the month as other sources of assistance abate due to the troubled economy.

A shining star of our work has been our backpack program. This school  year we are delivering approximately 30 backpacks per week to school children who often come to school hungry. Recipients are identified by school secretaries and guidance councelors. They are able to pick up their backpacks on their way home friday afternoon, and inside find nutritious meals and snacks that they are able to manage on their own to meet their hunger needs. This program has touched many hearts. Recently a Boy scout in our parish collected 1000 pound of food for this program along with hundreds of books for reading programs. The schools we serve are in a three mile radius of our pantry.

We have also begun an allaince with NW Childrens Outreach to provide clothing to families that come to us in need. The clothing is delivere to our pantry and families can pick up their customized packages when they come for food or just drop in.

Thanks for the genorosity of all of you who volunteer your time or donate to our pantry. We are continually overwhelmed by your help and compassion.

Links:

• Backpack Program
• Pantry Opening article