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St. Martin of Tours

"If you can't feed a hundred people then just feed one."

"St. Mother Teresa"

Thank you for your generosity!

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Food Pantry

TEMPORARY COVID-19-RELATED CHANGES IN THE PANTRY DISTRIBUTION 

St. Martin’s Pantry distribution remains every Monday, but food distribution will begin at 7am.  Clients will be required to maintain six feet distance from each other, and will be called up individually to receive food at a table in front of the Pantry entrance.  As supplies permit, each client should receive the normal bag of non-perishable food, plus one or more bags of bread, pastries, and fresh produce.  Ground coffee may be available if desired.  Other choices or exchanges may be possible, based on donations received and the number of clients to be served. 

NOTE:  The Pantry will normally close promptly at 12 noon.  Food distribution after that time may not be possible.

These changes are expected to continue in effect as long as the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions are in effect.

FOOD DONATIONS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC 

Food donations are critical to keeping the Pantry in operation.  (See “What to Donate” below.) Donations should be dropped off during Pantry working hours:  Fridays 9:30am to 1pm, Sundays 12-4pm and Mondays 8am to 12:00 noon.  Outside of these times, donations may be left in the baskets at the front o f the church after Sunday Masses, or at the office weekdays from 9am to 12:30pm, or in the bins at the front and back doors of the pantry. Please do not eave food donations sitting outside de bins.

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FOOD DISTRIBUTION

St. Martin’s Pantry distributes food every Monday throughout the year, including  holidays, with rare exceptions (see note below).  We begin with the distribution of numbers for places in line, starting when we open about 6:00 am Monday  morning.  

 

Distribution of food takes place beginning at 10 am. Closing time is 1:00 pm. The Pantry begins to  close when the last person in line is  served.

PLEASE NOTE: In the event of heavy snowfall or an especially severe storm on Sunday night and / or early Monday, the distribution may be canceled.

Contact Parish office for any updates.

WHAT TO DONATE

All of the following are needed for our regular food distribution: canned soup, pasta sauce, pasta, canned vegetables, canned tuna, canned beans, boxed macaroni & cheese, dried potatoes, dried rice, dried beans, canned fruit, dried soup, unsweetened breakfast cereal, cooking oil up to 14oz bottles, peanut butter & jelly, cookies and crackers, powdered milk, potatoes, apples, oranges, personal hygiene products and paper products, Numbers 1 and 2 baby food, and baby formula (please, no larger than one pound package to facilitate distribution), and disposable diapers especially sizes 5 and 6.

Donating fresh bread or produce?  Try to leave it with us Friday morning or Sunday afternoon so as to keep it as fresh as possible for the Monday morning distribution.  Do NOT leave it outside unattended – even though local wildlife will appreciate it, however we cannot distribute it after they have sampled it!

 

Frozen and refrigerated food donations must NOT be left unattended.  If they thaw or warm up we must trash the.   Bring them during Pantry operating hours or make special arrangements with us to insure required preservation.

 

Please limit Food unit/Can sizes!  Note that a large number of our clients walk or travel by bus to the Pantry, and thus 

are limited in respect to how much they can carry away.  Further, very large cans and packages do not fit in the grocery 

bags we prepare for the clients.  With the Lord’s Table closed for the near future, we MAY be able to pass such items to Nourish Now or Manna, but cannot use them ourselves.  Certain large items (e.g.: Costco size pancake mix and syrup) –we can save a limited number for the Boy Scout breakfast.

 

Very large boxes or bags of cereal make sense for a large family, however we cannot normally split them up.  If you can 

provide a larger number of smaller boxes of cereal, you will help us to help more families. 

 

We can split up large bags of rice and a few other items, such as tea bags, but for the most part large cans, boxes and 

other large containers are not suitable for our distribution.  Cases of regular-size cans are very useful but please avoid the largest unit sizes. 

WHAT NOT TO DONATE: 

The above list gives items we need for the weekly food distribution.  Donations at times include a much wider variety of items, however.  

 

Please note items which we do not distribute:  

 

Non-commercial packaged or home-canned items (unless the source is well known to us); dented cans; opened items; alcoholic beverages; prescription or over-the-counter medicines; “non-perishable” food past its expiration date (although we can pass on not-too-far expired items to other programs that can use them); Insect sprays and poisons, Pet food – any turning up in our distribution is passed on to the Humane Society or animal rescue organizations; and candy (except for items appropriate for clients’ young children present at the distribution).

FOOD DONATIONS

Have a food donation to drop off at the  Pantry?  Weather permitting, the Pantry  crew is on duty in the Pantry Building(directly behind St. Martin's Church use  the door facing Summit Ave closer to the church) Sundays from 12 pm to 4 pm,  Mondays from 8 am until after 12 pm .  Thursday and  Thursday and Fridays from 9:30 am to 1 pm. 

 

At other times, food may be dropped off at St. Martin’s Church Office (north of the Church on Rt. 355 - 9 am to 12:30 pm  and 1:30 pm to 5 pm weekdays.) 

PLEASE DO NOT LEAVE FOOD  OUTSIDE THE CHURCH, OFFICE OR  PANTRY/ANNEX - even though local wildlife may appreciate it.

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VOLUNTEERS - ADULTS 

We desperately need adult help working inside the Pantry Friday and Monday mornings, and Sunday afternoons (as well as  infrequent other special days).  However adults require clearance through the Archdiocesan Virtus (child protection) Program  before they start.  Some may already have this clearance through working with other programs.  In this case, come in and see us! 

If not, contact the Church Office for the procedure and required forms. The forms and procedure are also available from the  Pantry during our working hours on the above three days.   -- Help with donation pickup may also be needed – Virtus clearance not required but some physical strength and a large vehicle could be useful.

 

 

 

VOLUNTEERS – HIGH SCHOOL 

For student service in the Pantry:  High School students are welcome, may come by themselves, and do not require 

Virtus clearance (but have to fill out the Archdiocesan volunteer form),  Public school students should check with their counselor to verify whether pre-clearance of Pantry service is necessary to receive credit from their school.   PLEASE NOTE:  STUDENTS BELOW HIGHSCHOOL LEVEL MAY VOLUNTEER IN THE PANTRY ONLY WITH AN ACCOMPANYING VIRTUS-CLEARED PARENT (see above for the clearance process). 

 

Students may have requirements from their schools for school recognition of service.  Montgomery County Public 

School students may be required to get service at the Pantry pre-approved –their counselors can provide information in  this regard.  

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