Ellwood City food pantry honored

ELLWOOD CITY ― On June 14, Ellwood City Mayor Anthony Court presented The Divine Grace Parish Food Pantry with a proclamation honoring it for its years of service to the community.

"We are grateful as a community for the dedication and hard work they have put forth to our community for the past 30 years. I got a personal tour of the facility, and I was so impressed in all the work and dedication that went into this." Court said.

Parish priest the Rev. James Wehner said the food pantry has been assisting families with food, non-perishable items and common household items for over 30 years in conjunction with nearly 20 other Christian communities in the area.

"Our Lord reminded us as recorded in the gospels that when we serve those in need, we are serving Him. As pastor, I appreciate the vibrancy of this ministry and am grateful that the mayor has recognized our efforts," Wehmer said.

Divine Grace/Ministerium Social Services is a helping hands organization of the Ellwood City Area Churches.

The food pantry has more than 450 registered households totaling more than 1,650 people in the Ellwood City and Riverside school districts. It identifies and provides direct service to individuals and families who have difficulties due to low income, unexpected emergency or food anxiety. No proof of income is needed.

"As a community and church organization we cherish the value of life and work toward improving the quality of life for each client we serve," Wehmer said.

Co-directors Jan Bauer, who has been there for 29 years. and Cathy DeBlaso, who has been there for 14 years, run the pantry with the help of 30 volunteers.

At the pantry, clients receive dry goods, frozen chicken and meats, baked goods and vegetables. The first Thursday of each month, the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank delivers a semi-truck of canned goods, packaged items and frozen foods. It also sends produce twice a month. Giant Eagle grocery store supplies it with pastries and bread products. Kimmel's Bakery also donates bread and pastries.

Ellwood City churches participate by collecting food items and taking them to the pantry and individuals also bring needed items. The pantry accepts food, personal care items, paper products, cleaning supplies and monetary donations and 100% of monetary donations go to needy families. Contributions are tax-deductible.

Bauer said the biggest challenge is many of the grants have been cut so they must come up with the money to buy the paper products and some of the food and they need more volunteers, particularly on the first Thursday of the month.

"During the school year, students from Lincoln and Riverside high schools, clients from LARK help unload the trucks, so in the summer we need more volunteers," she said.

"The best thing about working here is being able to help people. God puts us in a situation where we can help our community," Bauer continued.

There is also the Senior Box Food Program that is different from the pantry in that seniors over 62 must apply and be within income guidelines.

In addition to food distribution, the pantry handles energy assistance programs, including LIHEAP (Low Income  Home Energy Assistance).

At Christmas, the Shining Stars program assures that every child gets a piece of clothing and a toy. Churches and businesses participate by taking stars, which have a child's sex and age, and buying the gifts that are needed. Last year they helped 180 families with about 500 children.

Gift cards are given out to new clients and families during the holidays.

The food pantry is located at 311 Lawrence Ave., Ellwood City. The phone number is 724-758-3465. The office is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, but closed for lunch from noon to 1 p.m. The mailing address is 300 Crescent Ave., Ellwood City, Pa. 16117.

In 1990, parish priest the Rev. Joe Dazcenzo saw the need and the food pantry began in an office in the rectory of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church (PBVM). As the demand grew it moved to St. Agatha's Church on Fifth Street and food was distributed from the basement of the church. Next, it moved to the former St. Agatha School on Bridge Street. In 2018, the pantry moved to its current location, the Holy Redeemer School building.

We are very blessed to have these programs for our community," Wehner said.

This article originally appeared on USATNetwork: Ellwood City honors local food pantry