Parish Food Pantry

The St Willebrord Pantry works in conjunction with the Brown County Hunger Task Force.  Although we mainly serve people who worship with us at St Willebrord, the pantry is open to others who are in our geographic area (from the Fox River to Baird Street, between Main and Mason Streets) on Tuesdays from 9-2.  We give away only non-perishable food items, household supplies, and personal care items that are donated to us.

When people come to our pantry, they must bring a photo ID, as well as one other piece of information that proves their current address, such as utility bills, medical bills, or rent receipts.  We track the number of adults and children in each family. Each month, we report the total number of families, adults and children to the Brown County Extension office.  They collect this data from pantries throughout the county in an effort to track hunger in our area, and to apply for grants and other federal assistance.

The items we give away in our food bags come from several sources.  We have been fortunate to have been the recipients of help from the Copps Bags for the Hungry, the Festival Foods Food For the Hunger, and the Letter Carriers Food Drive.  We also have parishioners who bring food items to our donation box located in the hallway near the gathering space.  Finally, our Thanksgiving Day collection goes towards the purchase of food.  Periodically, when our funds and supplies are running low, the finance council allows for a second collection for the purchase of food staples.

We also refer people to Paul’s Pantry as they have more fresh items to give away.

We currently are serving nearly 80-85 families each month, as well as trying to do “a little extra” for our families with great needs around the holidays.

If you are interested in helping us to “feed the hungry at our door”, your donations will be gratefully accepted.  Checks can be made payable to:  St Willebrord Food Pantry, and the donations can be sent to the parish office, or put into the collection.  If you would rather help by purchasing items for us, we can always use:

Peanut butter, jelly, pasta, pasta sauce, canned fruits and vegetables, rice, soup, crackers, cereal, raisins, canned meats or tuna, pancake mix, and syrup.