The food pantry at Saint Augustine - Saint Francis Xavier is a Parish run facility. All donations come from parishioners. It is not a state or government run facility. We rely solely on our parish for both non-perishables and monetary donations. We give out food every other week. This Ministry is totally run by volunteers. The photo above is what a typical food pantry bag looks like.
When donating Non- perishable foods please keep in mind the following:
Items You Shouldn’t Donate to Food Banks
While food banks are usually happy to take whatever donations you drop off, there are a few things you should keep in mind when donating food items.
Only Non-perishables. We cannot accept anything that has to be refrigerated.
We cannot accept anything that is expired or nearing expiration date
Opened foods are a no-go for food items. These items are sure to be thrown away, as opened foods can’t be served or provided to individuals for contamination purposes.
Items with packaging concerns or dents.
We are in need of the following:
Cereal (of any kind)
Oatmeal (packets are best)
Canned meats
Canned tuna
Canned soup
Canned fruit
Canned vegetables
Pasta and sauce
Rice (1 pound bags)
Dried Beans (any kind)
Peanut butter, jelly
Sugar
Flour
mustard, ketchup, mayonnaise
Oil, olive oil
Salt, pepper, spices
Imagine not being able to afford the basic needs to be able to cook a meal for your family. What would it take to keep you nourished? The Food Pantry gives out approximately 100 bags of food a month.
Fun Summer projects may be doing a food drive of your own. Set up a table and collect food for any food pantry that you want to donate to. Summer months are hard on the “hungry.” Please help your community.
Our ministry here at St Augustine-St Francis Xavier has been ongoing at St Francis Xavier since 1892. Over those many years, parishioners have responded to the needs of the poor in our community through two World Wars, the Spanish Flu epidemic, and the Great Depression.
The distribution of food to those who need it is probably the most visible function to parishioners, as they generously provide donations for the pantry. The people who come to us know that their needs and requests will be kept confidential.
We work out of the church building on the corner of Sixth Avenue and Carroll Street. You enter through the gate on Carroll Street at the back of the church building. You can also call the Parish Office at (718) 638-1880.
Should you be in need of any assistance, please reach out to us.
This ministry welcomes new members. We would especially like to have those with legal, social/community service, and health care expertise to act as consultants when needs arise. Expertise in these areas is sorely needed. If you are interested in joining us, please call the Parish Office at (718) 638-1880.
If you would like to support our work by making a financial contribution to the food pantry, you can do so by clicking on this link:
https://www.givecentral.org/location/725/event/28945
Thank you and May God Bless You!
