• 
• The purpose of this ministry:

  St. Patrick operates an all-volunteer pantry service for the community, distributing food on Tuesday and Thursday mornings between 10am and noon. During each visit, volunteers distribute two or three bags of groceries, which contain several meals. The pantry offers perishable and non-perishable food, which is either donated or purchased using donated funds and grant dollars. The pantry is blessed to be the recipient of much community support. The pantry participates with the Fresh Food Partnership, Food Rescue, the Emergency Food and Shelter Board, the Feeding America food bank network, and the Northwest Michigan Food Coalition to harness as many resources as possible to ensure all clients can find assistance when they visit St. Patrick Catholic Church.

   
   
  The ministry activities/opportunities:
  
  Numerous volunteer opportunities exist at the pantry:

  •  Work a shift during pantry hours to assist clients and distribute food.
  •  Stock the shelves on Mondays so the pantry is ready for the week.
  •  Shop for food.
  •  Pick up orders and deliver food to the pantry.
  •  Attend meetings.
  •  Be a liaison with one of the partner organizations.
  •  Set up a computer database of client information.
  •  Write thank you notes and/or bulletin announcements.
  •  Coordinate information among volunteers.
  •  Attend a certification class for food safety.
  •  Coordinate pantry operations.

   
  The skills, abilities, and gifts desired to serve in this ministry:

  • Ability to lift grocery bags full of food.
  • Ability to retrieve limited amounts of food from the basement such as freezer items and refrigerator items. Alternatively, the volunteer could pair up with another individual who is able to negotiate the stairs.
  • Good communication skills with a variety of different people.
  • Willingness to assist people with an open mind who may be facing difficult circumstances.
  • Ability to communicate with Food Pantry Coordinator, Volunteer Coordinator and parish staff about pantry status, scheduling conflicts, and pantry maintenance issues.

   
  Name and contact information for the ministry leader:
        Lisa Schaub   (please call the parish office to obtain her contact information) 
                                             
   
  General meeting days and times for this ministry:

  The pantry distributes food on Tuesday and Thursday from 10am to noon. Food is stocked on Mondays. Food also is picked up from various locations and meetings are attended throughout the month.