September 2024 St. Joseph Food Pantry Report

September was a very busy month at St. Joseph’s Pantry, providing 3,119 weekly meal servings to our food insecure neighbors. Last week volunteers provided food for 225 households on a single Thursday afternoon. The recent increase in number of applicants coincided with the opening of school and can be partially explained by the cessation of the summer food distributions scheduled by the Food Bank of Eastern NC at designated sites throughout Pender County. Many of our returning families praised this valuable program that supplied packages of nourishing food for their school age children during the summer vacation. The Pantry was happy to distribute fliers promoting this program in early June.

Burgaw’s St. Joseph’s Food Pantry is a community project with volunteers from Pender and New Hanover Counties. There are more than 75 individuals who volunteer time with this mission. They attend to tasks including registration of applicants, data collection, food pickup, food transport, loading food in storage, packaging food in boxes for each household, and loading the boxes into vehicles each Thursday.

In the past, St. Joseph’s reports have highlighted some of what happens in the registration hall and the people who welcome pantry guests. In the next few months, they will turn the spotlight on the contributions of other volunteers and how they contribute to the food distribution. Today it will begin with volunteers who keep St. Joseph’s stocked with food. 

·        Pick up empty boxes at ABC Store, every week (Dan & Dave)

·        Pick up All Saints Parish’s Food Donation, Thursday (Art & Maureen)

·        Pick up Apple Annie’s pastry donation., Thursday (Patricia)

·        Pick up Feast Down East, Wednesdays at Train Depot (Marianne & Justin))

·        Food Bank of Eastern NC, once or twice a month (Pete, Tim, Dan & Robert drive their trucks for big pick-ups)

·        Deliver Good Shepherd’s Second Helping, Thursday, after making pancakes (Phil brings second helpings to Burgaw)

·        Pick up Harris Teeter donation, Monday, 9:00 am (Jim & Patricia)

·        Pick up Harris Teeter donation, Wednesday, 9:00 am (Marianne & Justin)

·        Pick up Panera Bread donation, Wednesday evening (Brian or Dan)

·        Delivery from St. Therese Parish, Monday

·        Pick up Walmart’s Food Donation, Wednesday (Lidia, Steve, Glen)

·        Pick up Wilmington Bread Co., (Francine)

·        Unload and Store Monthly Food Delivery from TFEAP (The Emergency Food Assistance Program):                                                                                                       

Drivers - John, John and Corny Unloaders - Dan, Jerry, Kevin, Roy, Dave, Ralph, KC, Atti, Kim, Lidia, Dennis, Jim, Phil, Paul.

                                                                                                                                                                             –   

Elias, a farm worker from Duplin County earning $300 a week, arrived in the car of a neighbor.  Elias recently immigrated from Honduras with Juan, his 8-year-old son. This father tenderly described his son who was in school learning English, but tears filled his eyes when his story turned to his wife and younger twins back in Honduras. Th family did not have sufficient funds for all of them to travel. The Drug Cartel wanted Juan, so they had no time for delay. Elias is working hard to be reunited with his loved ones.

Jake, an elderly senior citizen, waited outside the registration hall on Thursday. Kevin, who directs parking in the lot, noticed and approached Jake 3 or 4 times inquiring if he could help. Each time Jake responded in the negative. Eventually, Jake entered the hall and sat in the back row. Recognizing him from previous visits, I approached Jake and inquired if he wanted to register for food. Jake shook his head explaining that he just needed a ride. He proceeded to put his hand in his pocket while explaining he had gas money but no car and needed to go to the hospital in Wilmington. When I enquired if he was sick. Jake replied ‘No”, clarifying that he needed to go to the hospital to visit his mother who was there with “a very bad heart”. He was sure someone would be in the hospital visiting his mother to bring him home. Staff responded. Bill, a faithful volunteer, called Uber and others chipped in to pay the fare.

Volunteers meet immigrants, low-wage workers, and many struggling seniors at the Food Pantry in Burgaw. All are welcomed. A few are difficult, most are patient and endearing. Volunteers learn their names, find beauty in their stories, make them smile, and are enriched by these encounters. 

The Gospel Stories are Personal.

This Personal Attention to the Poor Continues at St. Joseph’s.

St. Joseph’s Food Pantry

1303 US 117, Burgaw, NC 28425

Patricia Kopchick, Director

518-275-9887

stjoesfoodpantry@yahoo.com