Local food pantries, including three operated by Catholic Charities of Louisville, have seen an outpouring of help in the last month, as the community responded to critical needs exacerbated by the government shutdown.
But the need isn’t going away, say local social service leaders.
“Since spring, it has been month over month, more people, greater need and dropping supply,” said Lisa DeJaco Crutcher, CEO of Catholic Charities. She attributes the rise in need to increasing prices in grocery stores, as well as in other necessities, such as rent. “You’re getting fewer things for your money.
“Everyone knows what it feels like to be hungry. Even if you have the resources, you may sometimes miss a meal,” she said, noting there’s a “frustration and mental load of not having enough to eat — you are hungry, and you can’t fix that.”
Feeding people who are hungry, she said, is “at the heart of our mission as Catholics.”
“Our motivation is to keep both the corporal and spiritual works of mercy in the minds of our parishioners and give them an opportunity to practice them.”
— Father Matthew Hardesty, pastor of St. Athanasius Church
“One of the ways Jesus is always with us is in the form of food (the Eucharist),” she noted. “It is tremendously important to us physically, mentally and spiritually.”
Ministry to the hungry in the archdiocese comes in many forms — and subsequently, there are a wide variety of ways for the Catholic community to respond to Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre’s Nov. 18 invitation to help those in need.
Archbishop Fabre said in a statement, “The Scripture, ‘For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink’ (Mt. 25:35), reminds us that an expression of our Catholic faith is our faith in action. In these challenging times, people need to know they are loved and not forgotten.”
In addition to the efforts of social service agencies, Catholic parishes, schools and organizations around the Archdiocese of Louisville have found ways to support people in need of food in big and small ways. (Following is a sampling of ministries, not a full list.)
- Some parishes and the Catholic Enrichment Center (an archdiocesan facility) operate full-fledged food pantries, serving vulnerable people in nearby zip codes, often with the help of Dare to Care.
- Other parishes belong to a community ministry, joining with other faith communities to provide aid in certain zip codes, such as United Crescent Hill Ministries in Louisville. In Metcalfe County, Christ the Healer parishioners help support the community’s food pantry.
- Parish-based St. Vincent de Paul conferences provide a range of aid to people in their pockets of the archdiocese — from emergency financial assistance to formal food pantries.
- A handful of parishes and other Catholic organizations offer meal programs and soup kitchens, providing ready-to-eat meals to people who are hungry. The Cathedral of the Assumption and Franciscan Kitchen operate well-known programs throughout the year near downtown Louisville. Holy Trinity and St. Augustine churches work together to hand out sandwiches several days a week to people in need in West Louisville. In Fairdale, Ky., Mother Theresa of Calcutta Church has a monthly meal pick-up and delivery for anyone who needs a meal.
- Several parishes offer their parking lots and volunteers to help provide monthly Dare to Care food giveaways.
- Some schools have their own food pantries. Nativity Academy at St. Boniface has a storage closet stuffed with non-perishable items. St. Dominic School in Springfield, Ky., supports a Blessing Box, akin to a Little Free Library, a simple box mounted on the parish’s property where the public can pick up or drop off food as they need or are able. The box provides the school an opportunity to talk about being a blessing to others, according to a Facebook post about the box.
“Our motivation is to keep both the corporal and spiritual works of mercy in the minds of our parishioners and give them an opportunity to practice them,” said Father Matthew Hardesty, pastor of St. Athansius Church, which provides food and emergency financial assistance to people in need. “This is what Catholics should be all about.”
St. Athanasius’ ministry, known as COSA (Community Outreach of St. Athanasius) dates to 1966. It is operated by four volunteers with the support of the parish and school community and its Scout Pack and Troop.
St. Athansaius School students recently held their annual Thanksgiving food drive, working with the Scouts to collect 3,600 food items to support COSA, which also provides Thanksgiving and Christmas baskets.
“The parish invests in this ministry because it embodies our mission of following Jesus Christ by feeding, healing and shepherding,” said statement about the ministry provided by Father Hardesty. “For parishioners, students and youth, involvement in COSA offers a tangible way to live out faith through service, compassion and community engagement.
“For clients, the ministry provides not only material assistance but also dignity, hope and a reminder that they are not alone,” the statement said.
Food pantries often see an increase in giving around the holidays, noted Tony Nochim, communications and public relations coordinator for St. Vincent de Paul in Louisville, which operates a food pantry and soup kitchen. “But the need is year-round. We fight food insecurity 365 days a year. Our support from the community is critical.”
