 Contact Info: (803) 329-1008 "… For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me. Then the righteous will answer Him and say, “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?” And the king will say to them in reply, “Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.” Matthew 25:35-40 The St. Mary Food Pantry was founded by Brother David Boone back in 1992. With few resources, they continued for an unknown period of time. In 2008, after Bettye Finley had retired, she wanted to volunteer at the church. She initially planed on the Soup Kitchen, but Sister Mary John Nguyen told Bettye she had something else in mind and Bettye has worked in the Pantry ever since. They started again with about 50 cans of food. Betty is assisted by her volunteer team, including Jim Avery, Shirley Kelly, Dave Shiple, Cornell Minor, and Charlie Lillis. The goal of the Pantry is to provide food to individuals and families that meet federal income guidelines. The Pantry places a weekly order with Food Lion. Another church in town warehouses the food, and each participating church has a day for pick up. St. Mary picks it up on Wednesdays. The volunteers bag it early Thursday mornings. The Pantry is open to the public on Thursdays from 10 to 11 am for food distribution. Each family is given bags of food according to the size of their family. They may return weekly as needed.  The Food Pantry receives approximately 75% of their food from the Food Bank. They serve about 155 families per month, and about 350 individuals per month (as per the January 2017 monthly report sent to Second Harvest). |
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