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May 9, 2021
Food Pantry rolled through the Pandemic with class
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Can you believe that it’s been over a year since the pandemic closed things down and our Food Pantry opened every weekend?
The support from you, our parishioners, has been incredible. 27 volunteers come in regularly—many come every weekend. We have had over 100
volunteers at one time or another—and a number of them are our middle school students. What an incredible way to put faith into action!
Donations dropped off at St. Vitus are taken to the pantry daily by Vicki Bober and Jerry Benedict. (Jerry also coordinates our distribution.)
Our pantry is now more than just food! We have clothing, household items, books, bikes, and baby items! Susan Kearns, Pat Torsello and Terry Blesch coordinate this. This variety of donations can seem overwhelming—but amazingly, the items are taken. It truly is in the spirit of “passing it forward!”
Bi-Monthly, we receive boxes of food through Jubilee Ministries work with the NOW Project of Western Pennsylvania Food Distribution. Jerry Benedict and Dan Chrobak faithfully get those boxes early in the morning for our distribution.
Last month we officially partnered with Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank (GPCFB). Part of our obligation to the partnership involves gathering statistics on our customers (we do not deny anyone), food safety training for pantries, and civil rights training. Lisa DeCarbo is our
statistics queen! She—along with Liz Farone who reports on the meat given by Giant Eagle— provide the information required by GPCFB.
There are several benefits that we receive through this partnership. Karen Baum, our food coordinator, with the support of her father, Mark, shop through the GPCFB, including items we cannot receive through the Food Bank. GPCFB delivers food to us twice a month on Tuesdays. Members from our team help unload the food items. This food comes to us at a huge savings.
Almost two years ago, at one of our first Outreach Ministry meetings it was stated: “Wouldn’t it be great if we could end hunger in Lawrence
County?” Through the efforts of our Food Pantry; the work of Feed My Sheep Ministry (our parish’s participation coordinated by Mary Ann Isaac); our Soup Ministry for our homebound and shut-ins (coordinated by Maureen Kuhn), and our participation in Project Hope (coordinated by Paula Silhanek)—we are making a difference!
