St. Vincent de Paul’s Food Bank: A Lifeline To Those In Need

By R.J. Cohn

Fifteen minutes before St. Vincent de Paul’s Food Bank opens its doors, the parking lot is full, cars are bumper-to-bumper on Bartow Street, and families on belt-tight budgets are also coming for a food box that will keep them fed for another month.

With food prices continually rising — along with a nearly a 1 percent spike in the city’s unemployment rate from last August — the little 600-square foot food bank tucked away on the West End since 1995 has become more than a safety net for putting food in the bellies of the impoverished.

With more than 19,000 pounds of donated food distributed each month to Sierra Vista’s needy, it’s become an absolute lifeline for those faced with the insecurity of something as basic as putting a meal on the table.

“The need here is constantly outpacing the amount of donations we take in,” said food bank president Pauline Frederick. “Since Covid blasted the Sierra Vista economy, the need for assistance on every level from food to rent payments has been significantly greater. We’re helping people facing hard times and ridiculously high rents who are just trying to get by.” 

Donations from individuals, Target, Walmart, Safeway, Fry’s, and decades of support from St. Andrews the Apostle Catholic Church parishioners have kept its shelves stocked and refrigerators filled with milk, which arrives on Monday. By Thursday, those gallons are practically gone.

“We’re that safety net for many who were hit hard by Covid, circumstances and other factors,” said Frederick. “We’ll do everything we can to keep them out of homelessness. We’ve become a lifeline. We’re feeding over 4,000 family members with 1,200 to 1,400 food boxes a month. They count on what this food bank can deliver.”

For 22 years, food bank manager Stan Garner has been like a ship’s rudder, building community connections with grocery stores and food distributors that have kept St. Vincent de Paul a pipeline for the needy, especially during the last few years when the Consumer Price Index (CPI) says groceries have been 29 percent higher since before the pandemic. 

Even though donations are still coming to the Catholic nonprofit, Garner said the amount is less than in previous years. Revenue generated from St. Vincent de Paul’s thrift store is earmarked for the food bank and also helps with utility and rent assistance. 

 “These are tough economic times,” he said. “We’re seeing a little less than in past years. But I understand the drop off, and I can’t fault it. People have to feed their own families first before helping needy ones. Food is expensive. We’ve had to cut the food bank’s budget a few times already this year and have been supplementing other foods for certain products we normally wouldn’t. We’re making it work. Families are still taking home their food boxes.”