On May 27, 2010 the St Joseph Food Pantry will be one year old. An amazing year it has been! We think back to the first weeks when we wondered if anyone would come, was there really a need? Those thoughts soon changed. With the support and generosity of our St. Brendan’s Community, help from local businesses, groups, caring individuals and the total dedication of our volunteers, the pantry now provides free food assistance to over 436 families.
On May 22 and 23 we are planning a Birthday Food Drive. Your birthday gift of one food item per man, woman and child will be very much appreciated and help stock the pantry shelves for the summer months. We ask that your food gift be one of the following pantry staples: Cooking oil, juice, tuna, sugar, flour, Maseca, jelly, cereal, boxed/evaporated milk. The yellow pantry wagon will be in the Narthex for all Masses. Join us for a piece of birthday cake after Mass.
Your pantry is financially stable. Generous financial contributions, corporate and business donations, support for the basket projects and proceeds from boutique sales have enabled the pantry to function financially without assistance from Local Charities collections. Our goal is to continue, with your help, to be good stewards of the resources entrusted to our care.
Over the next year, we will constantly explore ways to raise funds, improve on the services we provide and continue to shop wisely for pantry needs. To improve the service we provide, we have established two new Leadership positions; a Volunteer Services Leader who will coordinate our addition of a new web based volunteer sign up schedule and a Communication Leader, who will acknowledge and thank those who contribute to the pantry throughout the year. We also added two additional positions; Scout Activity Coordinator and Basket Project Coordinator.
We are busy and blessed. Please, consider helping the pantry. You can, of course, be a volunteer and work on inventory, bag assembly or distribution. You can conduct neighborhood food drives or be a Pantry Partner. And, most of all you can offer prayers that as we serve, we will encourage and support our clients. God bless you for your caring spirit and willingness to help.
Pantry Facts:
• Number of registered families: 436+
• Family members: 1,744+
• Food Bags distributed: 2,511
• Pounds of food: 57,753
• Tons of food: 28.9
• Approximate value of food: $ 60,264
• Number of Christmas/Easter baskets distributed: 361
• Pantry expense; shopping carts for baskets: $ 3,610
• 164 sponsorships for Christmas/ Easter baskets @ $35 each: $ 5,740
• Children’s Christmas Stockings/
• Easter Baskets: 200
• Babies supplied with diapers/wipes/food: 166
• Boutique Sales: 8
• Approximate profit from
• sale of donated merchandise: $ 7,000+
• Large individual financial contributions: $ 8,000
• Corporate Grants (1): $ 1,000
• Various food drives: 25+
• Food items collected at Card Board Box City: 40,000
• # Large families served (7+) 22
• Our Family, receiving food: 26
Volunteer Service Hours: Countless!
Contact: Barbara Gordon 770-888 -3258 or barbaradgordon@aol.com
Hours of Operation: Wednesday 4:30 to 6:45 p.m.
