St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry Needs Our Help

All of us are very familiar with the work of our St. Vincent de Paul Society (SVdP).
They help clients with utilities and other bills, food, and budget counseling. We all know how effective their Thursday Pantry Day has become. It serves many families in our area and Fred and pantry crew has honed their process to provide a very streamlined assembly line serving many families on Pantry days.

The Thursday Food Pantry is still happening, even as government regulations have been put into effect to ensure social distancing. The Pantry is considered an essential function for our community.  Service is now offered via drive-up to allow for social distancing and safety for the Pantry workers.

Easter is the one holiday for which the Pantry still offers “Food baskets” to provide a nourishing holiday meal for families.
SVdP has always relied on us parishioners to help supply food and financial donations to make the Food Baskets possible. This year three St. Joseph’s Tables were placed in the social hall, and each was lovingly decorated by different families. The idea was to collect certain foods and financial donations for the upcoming Easter Food Baskets. Sadly, the coronavirus has resulted in very limited opportunities to donate as normal activities are effectively curtailed for the meantime and the social hall is not accessible.

At this point, the most effective way to help SVdP with the Easter Food Baskets and increased demand going forward is to make a monetary donation.
With a monetary donation, Fred and crew can go shopping at Manna, Aldi’s, and various grocery stores where they can get a great volume of food for much less than if we go buy food and bring it in, which we can’t do right now anyhow! Fred and his assistants make for a shopping tour de force, so this is the best bang for the buck, folks.

Your donation can be mailed to the church (address below).
Please make checks payable to “St. Vincent de Paul”, and write “Food Pantry” in the memo line. The “Food Pantry” notation is very important, as without it the funds would go into the general use funds and not pantry funds.

We all received a letter from Father Adrian this past week about the church’s financial needs as well. The bills must still be paid. The staff is still working and must be paid. Sure, maybe we are consuming less paper goods, coffee and donuts, for example, but all our other obligations remain. We are asking for your regular church support to be mailed to the church as well. Make it a two-fer! You can put checks for the church and for SVdP in the same envelope. Please also consider online giving, as this is easiest way to give, and is truly contact free! You can learn about online giving and sign up by visiting this page.

Thank you for your help and generosity during this unprecedented time in history. Let us all pray for one another and for those in our community who are suffering greatly at this time.

Mailing Address:
St. Barnabas Catholic Church
PO Box 39
Arden, NC 28704

General offertory: make checks payable to St. Barnabas Catholic Church
SVdP: Make checks payable to St. Vincent de Paul, and write food pantry in the memo line