After seeing its doors closed for nearly a month, St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry is again ready to lend a helping hand to those in need.
The pantry will reopen on Thursday, May 7, from 9 to 11 a.m. for drive-thru service to the community. It will continue to be open only on Thursdays during that time for the foreseeable future. It hopes to return back to its normal set-up of allowing people to come into the facility once the COVID-19 pandemic passes, said Bill Murto, president of St. Vincent de Paul, St. John Vianney Conference.
By the beginning of April, Murto said several events impacted their ability to remain open. The number of families and clients served over the prior three weeks had grown from 50 to more than 70, leaving shelves almost bare. On April 5, the pantry lost its co-manager, Bruce Connolly, who died. Finally, the COVID-19 pandemic forced staff to rapidly change operations from a client choice to a drive-thru distribution model.
“We were without sufficient volunteers, donations and pantry management,” he said.
During the closure, the staff have taken three major actions designed to revitalize the pantry and its ability to serve the community:
— Volunteers stepped forward to take over the redesigned pantry operation.
— Restocked shelves through donations from St. John Vianney Catholic Church parishioners, the Phoenix St. Vincent de Paul Food Reclamation Center, the Verde Valley Neighborhood Food Project and Gerardo’s Italian Kitchen Restaurant.
— Established a relationship with St. Mary’s Food Bank, which will give the pantry the ability to purchase shelf stable items at low prices.
Throughout the three weeks the pantry was closed, it continued to deliver food bags to all those who called and asked for emergency food.
Murto said he expects the number of families they serve to increase as a result of many people being out of work. The pantry served 54 families — or 139 people — on March 12. By March 26 that figure increased by nearly 40%.
“Based on the calls to our client services operation, which has been continuously open throughout this year, we expect the families we serve will continue to increase substantially,” Murto said.
While it is permitted to operate on St. John Vianney’s property, the pantry is a separate nonprofit organization. Though much of its food and financial donations come from St. John Vianney’s parishioners, it serves anyone in need who comes to the pantry regardless of faith. That will be welcomed news to many.
“The pandemic has forced a significant number of households into a state of food insecurity,” Murto said. “Many people do not have the resources to meet their basic food needs while they remain without a source of income. The ability to obtain food from a food bank frees up money for other expenses such as rent, transportation expenses, medications and clothing.”
Both the food pantry and client services are run entirely by volunteers — something that Murto does not take lightly.
“In today’s environment, it is simply amazing that we have the number and quality of volunteers that we have,” he said. “The Society of St. Vincent de Paul’s mission is ‘A network of friends, inspired by gospel values, growing in holiness and building a more just world through personal relationships with and service to people in need.’”
He went on to add, “Our food pantry works in tandem with our client services operation. We provide tangible assistance to those in need on a person-to-person basis. This aid may take the form of direct dollar assistance, in-kind service, referrals or consultation. We serve anyone in need without discrimination.”
For more information, contact client services at 821-1292.
