DEFIANCE—The Catholic Community Food Pantry at St. Mary Church began in the basement of the rectory in 1981, at a time when many families in the area had been hit by economic recession.

The space was not ideal — food had to be carried up and down the rickety stairs leading to the small pantry — but a volunteer force faithfully served any who came to the door in need.

The pantry grew so much each year that the ministry became a key consideration in the planning for a new parish ministry center, and the food pantry received spacious new quarters when the center opened in December 2004.

Now clients wait for their turn at the intake desk in a bright, tidy waiting room. The pantry is filled with several rows of tall, neatly-stocked grocery shelves, and freezers and refrigerators line the back wall.

About 60 volunteers are part of the team operating the pantry, which bustles with activity three afternoons a week during its open hours. Last year 3,235 families from the Defiance area — 11,421 individuals — were served with emergency food, which comes entirely from donations. That is an increase of 585 families over 2005, and more than twice the number of people served in 1996.

“We serve a wide cross-section of people,” says Deacon George Newton, one of the facilitators of the pantry. “We never turn anybody away.”

He adds the mission of the pantry is not only about handing out food, but about creating a welcoming atmosphere. Clients “deserve the courtesy and respect they would get in any store,” he says.

Two other social outreach programs at St. Mary complement the Catholic Community Food Pantry by providing a comprehensive array of additional services to those in need.

Volunteers from the St. Mary St. Vincent de Paul Society meet with clients three days a week in the pantry space. The Society serves clients from Defiance, Paulding and Williams counties, providing emergency assistance with rent, utilities and medical bills, as well as referrals to other area social service agencies.

Steve Santo, leader of St. Mary St. Vincent de Paul and president of the Toledo Diocese Central Council of St. Vincent de Paul, says the number of clients grows each year. In the last three months of 2006, 103 families received help from the Society.

He explains that many clients are unemployed, or simply cannot keep up with bills even though they are working. Some struggle with large medical bills, Mr. Santo adds, and their income doesn’t stretch to cover the rest of their expenses. “They’re always in a constant struggle to make ends meet.”

Last December, St. Mary Parish also assumed management of the Defiance County Furniture Bank from Lutheran Social Services when the agency discontinued its furniture bank program.

The St. Vincent de Paul Society and other Defiance County social service agencies refer those in need to the bank for such basic necessities as beds, linens, kitchenware and other furnishings. Many clients are victims of fire or domestic violence.
Parishioners and others from the Defiance area donate the items, and volunteers maintain the furniture bank in a large warehouse located about two miles from St. Mary Church.

Deacon John Weber, one of the coordinators of the furniture bank, and Deacon Newton are quick to recognize that none of the social justice ministries would be possible without the volunteers and donations of money and goods from area Catholics and other community members. Their generosity is “absolutely amazing,” says Deacon Newton.

“We appreciate the generosity of the community in enabling us to extend this generosity to the poor.”