I’ve been pondering on our food pantry and if there is a way to improve how we serve people. I haven’t come up with any answers yet. The need is only growing as more and more cuts are made to federal and state food support systems. Have you ever thought about who gets to eat? Who gets food? Who deserves food? Who deserves to be hungry? I wonder if our lawmakers think about the cost of hunger vs the cost of food. I’m grateful and thankful for this faith family, doing what you can, sharing so generously.

I don’t know of another food pantry that works the way ours does. We operate from one wall in an ex-classroom. We don’t store food -  it comes in, it goes out. I don’t want to be a warehouse, but sometimes it does get scary and I wonder what will we give people?? Then you all bring in cereal or cans of chicken, or pasta and sauce, or rice and beans, Aldi comes through, and God supplies food for the people he brings the next day.

When people come to our pantry we greet them and hopefully get to talk a few minutes. If they’re new, we show them a list of all available resources from pet food to clothes plus food. We don’t ask for ID or proof of address - that doesn’t matter to us. If you come for food, we will share what we have. I do ask for a name, how many adults and  children in the household. Families can come once a month.

One of the hardest things is deciding what to give people. For the Drive-Thru twice a month, everyone gets the same thing - whatever we bought from Second Harvest, our area food bank. For the pantry we have to decide how much of what to give. It’s often a hard choice. We try to figure out what food matches the need without asking embarrassing questions. For example, I would never ask if someone is homeless, I ask what are you cooking on these days? Answers I’ve heard include campfires, my brother lets me use his oven, Such-and-so gas station lets me use their microwave.I might ask someone if they prefer ready-to-eat food or if they like to cook. We need both kinds of foods, like dry beans that take time, pots and a heat source, and ready to eat canned beans.. It’s thoughtful, deliberate decisions that aren’t really explainable but involve a lot of asking for the Lord’s wisdom!

We always need helpers, people who are willing and happy to meet with people. We talk with working families, veterans, grandparents raising their grandchildren, retirees, unhoused men and women, single moms - everyone comes to the food pantry. Want to help? Call me! Thank you and God bless us all!

Lawson Hunsicker
Food Ministries Coordinator

St. Mary Neighborhood Food Pantry

The food pantry began in 2010 with a few cans of food and a locker for those in need. Over the years, thanks to generous donations, it expanded and, by 2022, became a full-time community outreach ministry. It operates entirely on food donations and funds, and is open over 50 hours a month, more than any other pantry in Madison County. The pantry also partners with other local pantries, a meat wholesaler in Indianapolis, and St. John Vianney Church in Fishers for additional support.