Food Pantry

Food Pantry

You Can Help

Remember our Food Pantry families when you shop for your own family. Donations of food, personal items, paper products, baby food and diapers are gratefully received. Monetary donations are also needed to supplement donated items. Volunteers are vital to keeping the Pantry in operation. Consider donating some of your time to shop, stock shelves, prepare perishable food items for distribution, or assist clients with their Pantry shopping, To be a part of this ministry, call the church office.

How To Use The Food Pantry

All client requests are received on a Food Pantry private line. Clients may call (608) 441-1123 Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday between 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. on the day they wish to shop at the Pantry. Clients may come to the Pantry every 14 days. The hours to shop remain the same from 11:30 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. Monday thru Thursday each week.

Email the Food Pantry

StStPantry@netscape.net

Donations

Where & When

Donations of food and clothing for our Food Pantry can be brought in during church office hours, Monday through Thursday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and Friday, 8:00 a.m. to noon. To bring donations another time contact the office at 222-1241.

A Choice Pantry

St. Stephen’s Food Pantry is a “choice” pantry, which means that clients do their own shopping, selecting only the items they will use. Choice honors our clients’ dignity and eliminates the waste of unused items.

Substitutes Needed

The Pantry is looking for substitutes to pick up day-old bakery items from area stores. It is a 1-hour commitment. Please contact Judy Benzine at 222-1241, ext. 14 if you can help.

Grant from Thrivent

Because of your great response to our Mountain of Food Drive, we received at $1600 grant from Thrivent Lutheran. We wish to thank everyone who helped make that possible. December also brought us many food drive gifts from area churches, the Monona Chamber Business and individuals from the community. Our shelves look great and we want you to know that it will help us get through January, February and March when donations are low. St. Stephen’s Food Pantry Board and volunteers thank you for your loyal support of this ministry of caring for those in need.

Hallelujah!

We Exceeded Our Goal!

The St. Stephen’s Food Pantry Board thanks you for your generous contributions to our Mountain of Food. We set a goal of 900 cases and we received 1023 cases for a total cost of $7,900. Also, we exceeded the 2009 total of 1016 cases. Amazing! We are grateful to all who support this mission of caring for those in need. Please know your gifts are greatly appreciated by all the Pantry volunteers and the clients we serve. Your gifts have been noted on your envelope giving report. We needed $3,200 for our Thrivent grant application in order to receive a grant for $1,600. We also wish to express our thanks to the 60 volunteers who work so hard to make this ministry possible.

Thank You From the Food Pantry Board!

The Food Pantry Board expresses sincere thanks to Gordy McChesney for serving as Board Chairman for 13 years and Glen Lee for 13 years as a Board Member. We welcome two new Board Members: Jim Esser who will be serving as Chairman and Tom Speranza as a Member. We express our sincere appreciation to all of them for their dedication to this ministry of caring for those in need.

Thank You to All Who Helped with the Remodel

St. Stephen’s Food Pantry thanks all volunteers who worked so hard planning for the repairs, purchasing items needed, helped clear out the Pantry area for repairs, painted and put all the items back after the repairs were completed. A special thank you to Gordy McChesney for applying for the grant to the Madison Community Foundation and to the Foundation for awarding us with the $10,000 grant. The grant made possible the purchase of three carts for the Pantry, one large refrigerator, two freezers, floor tiles for the Pantry area and a new storage shed.

Thank You to Thrivent
& Pastor Richard Dowling

Thank you to Thrivent and Pastor Dowling of West Koshkonong Lutheran who applied for a purchase of a “hamburger” grant. Pastor Dowling requested that $250 worth of hamburger be given to St. Stephen’s as part of his grant request. We are very grateful for this special gift and for their part in sharing in our ministry of caring for those in need in our community.

Current Needs

The Pantry is in need of:

Paper bags (dire need!)

12-16 oz. plastic bottles

Plastic bags

Thanks!