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St. John XXIII Interfaith Pantry provides lifeline to local families
It’s the first Saturday of the month, and at 9 a.m. the parking lot of St. Francis of Assisi, St. John XXIII Parish in Finleyville, is starting to fill up with cars.
Inside the church social hall, a cheerful group of volunteers clad in teal T-shirts warmly welcome visitors, who have arrived to grocery shop.
Yes, grocery shop.
The church’s nearly 3,000-square-foot social hall is now the site of the St. John XXIII Interfaith Food Pantry, a collaboration of St. John XXIII Catholic Church and churches in the Finleyville Ministerial Association that opened its doors in November.
The pantry – which provides non-perishables, meats, produce, refrigerated goods, household supplies and personal items – is mainly sourced through the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank and supplemented with donations from the churches, their congregants, and several groups, including schools and service organizations.
“We had supported the Finleyville Food Pantry, but when it shut its doors (in April 2023) and moved to Monongahela, there was a void and a real need in the community,” said the Rev. Robert Miller, pastor of St. John XXIII Parish. “We went through the interfaith community so we could all be involved together to take care of the needs of the people of Finleyville.”
Jane Serra, director of St. John XXIII Interfaith Food Pantry, said the pantry operates more like a supermarket than a traditional food pantry (where clients pick up pre-packed boxes), allowing people to come in and choose the food they want.
“They are excited to have the opportunity to select the food they like, both perishable and non-perishable items,” said Serra, adding she believes the grocery store model offers people dignity and choice.
The Rev. Richard Roberts, pastor of Wright’s United Methodist Church in Venetia and chairperson of the Finleyville Ministerial Association, agrees.
“Our shopping technique is different from a lot of food pantry models, where volunteers hand you a box, and that’s wonderful too, but we wanted to be a little bit different. Our experience has been that some folks get food in their box that they don’t like or won’t eat or are allergic to, and now they’re stuck with this food,” said Roberts. “We wanted folks to be good stewards of the food and pick their own. But it also adds an element of dignity. It’s more of a helping hand and a hand up instead of a handout.”
Hunger is an issue that many Pennsylvania families face, and the share of U.S. households facing hunger is rising. In 2022, about 1 in 8 U.S. households were food insecure, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The St. John XXIII food pantry serves a diverse range of families who are experiencing food insecurity in the community. It serves about 65 families two Saturdays a month, including several Latino families.
Peters Township High School Spanish teacher Caitlin Ulf volunteers as a translator on food distribution days.
“I’m here to help them through the paperwork and to make them feel comfortable while they’re shopping and going through the process,” said Ulf, pointing out the pantry’s food shelves are marked in English and Spanish.
The pantry also has partnered with the Literacy Council of Southwestern Pennsylvania to provide about 75 food boxes once a month to the literacy council’s immigrant students and their families in Charleroi, which is home to about 2,000 immigrants from 44 countries, including a large population of Haitian refugees who have settled in the town.
“They have been a tremendous help to our families, and they’ve been wonderful to work with,” said Brandi Miller, executive director of the literacy council. “Most of our students don’t drive so there’s no transportation, so having (the pantry) deliver the boxes here every month is a great help.”
The program is an all-volunteer effort.
Serra said the pantry’s 75 volunteers – teens, adults and seniors committed to the St. John XXIII Interfaith’s mission of making a major impact on food insecurity – are the backbone of the program.
They work to collect, store, and distribute food, with the aim of lifting individuals and families who are experiencing tough times.
It’s a representation of all the congregations in all the ages and stages of life,” said Roberts. “It’s been a big challenge but a wonderful challenge.”
The pantry was established with funding from several grants – which were used to purchase equipment including commercial refrigerators – and from donors who provided and assembled shelving, food, and other items.
Roberts knows firsthand that food insecurity can happen to anyone, regardless of age, education or employment status.
About 25 years ago, he was living in South Carolina when he went through a divorce and lost his job.
“I was living out of my car and it was like, yikes, I had a masters degree with 17 years pastoring a church, but in the South 25 years ago going through a divorce wasn’t something you wanted to do as a pastor, and I lost my job. But I was in that situation and, oh, my goodness, if it wasn’t for the kindness of total strangers, I would not be where I am today,” said Roberts.
During Saturday’s distribution, Finleyville resident Penny Lovelace and volunteer Barb Rousis, a “shopping buddy,” navigate the pantry, loading Lovelace’s shopping cart with coffee, cereal, ground beef, canned soup, pasta, eggs and more.
The two chat and laugh, and Lovelace pulls out her phone and shows Rousis photos of her Welsh corgis, one of which she describes as “ornery.”
When Lovelace finishes shopping, three teens wheel her cart to her car, unload the bags into her car, wish her a happy day, and return to the social hall to help other shoppers.
“Everybody is so nice here,” said Lovelace. “It’s very organized and there is such a wide variety. It’s so welcoming. This is a great place.”
The St. John XXIII Interfaith Food Pantry is open from 9 a.m. to noon on the first and third Saturdays of each month to serve neighbors in need in Finleyville and surrounding communities. For more information, visit the website at john23foodpantry.org.