Food Pantry

food pantry

This program provides food to needy individuals and families in our St Edna community and our sharing parish, St. James in Chicago. We serve over 150 clients each month. Parishioners may volunteer to help with the St. Edna Pantry in two ways: By sorting and organizing the donations coming in and stocking the pantry shelves or by volunteering during Outreach hours to fill pantry orders for Outreach clients requesting food.

Overall program description

Did you know there was a pantry at St. Edna? It was started quite a while ago in an extra room at the end of the Hurley Center. Several years later it moved to the room in the space between church and the Doherty Center. In 2021 the room was expanded to almost 3 times its size.

Where does the food come from?

The pantries at St. James and here at St. Edna are stocked with food by you, the generous parishioners who donate food each month. Some Outreach funds are used to purchase pantry items.

Thoughtful parishioners bring food regularly to the “Food for the Hungry” box in the Narthex…many people stop by after grocery shopping but before going home to drop off their donation bags. All food donated on Sharing Sunday and during the week stocks the pantry at our sharing parish St. James AND the St. Edna pantry.

A dedicated group of pantry volunteers sort, stock and organize the shelves several times a week here as well as assist with packaging the food that is sent to St. James.

How does it help feed the hungry?

The food that is sent to St James each month on Sharing Sunday helps serve more than 1500 families each month.

The food pantry is also used by the Outreach Ministers who assist those that come to St. Edna in need, several days each week (see the St Edna Outreach page for days and times). The ministers find out what the food needs are for a client that comes in that particular day.

For example:

Do they need food for just themselves or a family?
Are children in the family?
Are there special dietary needs?
Is the client homeless and in need of ready-to-eat food?

Donations can be dropped off at the box inside door #6 when the office is open. Or donations can be dropped off at mass in the "Food For the Hungry" box in the Narthex. Most donations come on Sharing Sunday which is the 3rd Sunday every month.

Note: The food pantries at St. James and St. Edna do not need canned vegetables and canned soups at this time. Please consider using this Pantry Shopping List