Catholic Charities holds grand opening Friday for food pantry
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)
Catholic Charities of Central and Northern Missouri held a grand opening Friday for its food pantry and community resource center, in Jefferson City.
The food pantry is also set to open at 10 a.m. Saturday and 4 p.m. on Monday and Wednesday. Around 10:30 a.m. Friday the charity said 20 food pantry orders had been filled, and at least 100 people had came to the Jefferson City location to utilize the resources.Â
Catholic Charities said what sets the new food pantry apart from others is the food pantry is set up like a small grocery store and people can choose items themselves. Some organizations give people food boxes with preselected items. The pantry uses a SmartChoice software that allow member to place online grocery orders for pick up. Members can also use points they receive based on household size to shop monthly.
One woman who used the pantry Friday said it gives people a peace of mind who might feel embarrassed for seeking help. Catholic Charities Executive Director Dan Lester says his favorite part about Friday was seeing everyone's reaction.
"Having that ability to see our neighbors actually coming in and getting those services that we want to provide to them, it's really rewarding," Lester said.
In addition to a food pantry, guests were also able to take advantage of the community resource fair with over 30 agencies providing different resources.
The agencies included:
- Healthy Blue
- SSM St. Mary's
- Compass Health
- New Horizions
- Pregnancy Health Center
- Jefferson City Housing Authority
Lester says the community resource fair was only for the grand opening, however, he says the organization is working to hold a community resource fair event annually .
Catholic Charities says the new pantry will only be for Cole County residents. A photo I.D and mail showing proof of address is required to become a member.
