Archdeacon Lois Maberry Episcopal Diocese of Western Louisiana and assigned to St. George Episcopal Church, Bossier City, LA
St. George is a small parish located in Bossier City, Louisiana, and geographically located one block from an interstate highway. Our church is also situated between two local motels that have become long-term rental motels. Because of the considerable number of transient friends and those who have limited cooking facilities living in the area, St. George began a food bank for special needs approximately 15 years ago.
Large quantities of staples and canned food are not needed by our frequent guests. They do not benefit from the conventional food banks in the area. We realized that there is a need for more individually packaged foods in easy-to-open containers. We have stocked our pantry with foil-packaged tuna, microwave pasta dishes, pop-top soups, and microwave macaroni and cheese. The microwavable foods work well since, according to one of our guests, the convenience store near us allows them to heat their meals there. We supplement these with breakfast bars, small fruit cups, cheese crackers with peanut butter, small containers of peanut butter, individual servings of cookies, and fruit snacks. We work to always have water and other drinks to include in each sack.
Because eating utensils are not available to many of our friends, we have asked our church family to collect those from their takeout meals, so a handful of forks, condiments, and napkins are included in each bag. We also include toilet paper, paper towels, and individual wet wipes. Small bottles of hand sanitizer are also included, as well as hotel-size toiletries, toothbrushes, and toothpaste. Several church family members bring paperback books and puzzle books to add in some entertainment items.
This is far more than just giving away leftover items from our own pantries. Taking time to talk with the friends we serve has helped us to supply their individual needs. Each month in our monthly newsletter, the list of needed items is listed, and our shelves are always stocked. We provide 15-20 bags of food per month. Our friends have learned that as long as at least one person is at the church, there is food for those in need.