St Paul's partners with Food for Thought for a monthly food pantry on the Second Tuesday of every month from 3-5:00 pm. It is a growing pantry that provides not only fresh produce, meat, cereal, bread, and canned items but also other essential items. Extra items are always needed to supplement the food which is given to the families. The "extras" include toilet paper, laundry soap, pet food and hygiene products.
Donations of adult briefs, incontinence pads and sanitary products for women are desperately needed along with toiletries i.e. toilet paper, soap, shampoo, shaving cream etc. All these items cannot be purchased with any government assistance. Call the church if you wish to make a donation or if your organization would like to have a collection. Almost half of St Paul's members are committed to being at the pantry each month to serve the pantry. This Great Small Church is "all in" in its care for others. For many, it is our favorite day of the month! It is a joy to serve together and know you are helping others. We are grateful for the number of volunteers who join us from other faith communities; i.e St Andrew's Episcopal, Cedar Creek and others. Currently the pantry offers timed appointments due to the size of the church parking lot in 15 minute increments. It is working well and families understand the predicament. We are so blessed to be in relationship with our neighbors and offer needed assistance. St. Paul's hosts a monthly mobile food pantry for Food for Thought where we provide food or 150-200 households, primarily drawn from our immediate neighborhood. What is Food Insecurity? Do I feed my family and not pay rent risking eviction? Do I skip my medication? Food insecurity may reflect a household’s need to make trade-offs between important basic needs, such as housing or medical bills, and purchasing nutritionally adequate foods. Do I spend more on fresh fruit and give my child peanut butter for dinner three times a week? The only store within walking distance is a small carry-out and they don't have anything but cereal. What do I do? Food insecurity refers to USDA’s measure of lack of access, at times, to enough food for an active, healthy life for all household members and limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate foods. Food-insecure households are not necessarily food insecure all the time. In 2018, an estimated 1 in 9 Americans were food insecure, equating to over 37 million Americans, including more than 11 million children. What is the food insecurity rate in 2021? Feeding America projects that 42 million people (1 in 8), including 13 million children (1 in 6), in the US may experience food insecurity in 2021. In Lucas County, 65,150 people or 15.1% of the population is food insecure (38.5% higher than the national average). Child food insecurity in Lucas County is 21, 100 people or 21.2%, which is 45.2% higher than the national average. |
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St. Paul's Episcopal Church - 798 S Coy Rd. Oregon, OH 43616
419.691.9400 - [email protected]
419.691.9400 - [email protected]