Did you know the Samaritan Center Food Pantry gave out more than 40,000 food items in 2023?
One of the most important ministries of the Samaritan Center is our Food Pantry. This section of our ministry helps provide food to people who have both immediate and ongoing needs. Working to understand each situation, our Social Services team aims to help make sure food is never off the table.
The Samaritan Center Food Pantry provides:
- Monthly Food Boxes: A service for people who live within our service area and undergo a vetting process. Each household receives a grocery cart every month based on size.
- Emergency Food Bags: Nutritionally balanced bags for people who come in and are either in the process of vetting for long-term assistance or suffered a disaster (such as house fire) and are in need of immediate help.
- Sack Packs: 35 sack packs assembled at the Samaritan Center Food Pantry every week and distributed on Thursdays to a local elementary school for students who may not have regular or easy access to food over the weekends.
- Homeless food items: Much like the Emergency Food Bags, the Samaritan Center also assembles items for the homeless in our community. If individuals come in off the street and are in need of a backpack, we provide one along with pop-top food items, peanut butter and jelly, plastic silverware and a can opener (if needed).
- Food gift cards: The Samaritan Center’s Social Services team collects and purchases gift cards to local restaurants to be available in a variety of situations as needed to allow people quick access to a hot meal.
- Detailed item inspections: At the Samaritan Center Food Pantry, we do not give out expired food. Dedicated staff and volunteers work to sort all items by date and rotate them accordingly so that no food goes unused before its expiration date.
If you would like to help make sure our neighbors keep food on the table, visit our food page to learn more.
