Among the challenges faced by Our Lady's Pantry is not only having enough money for food for our families — but having enough to pay our bills. In fact, the hidden costs of running Our Lady's Pantry are significant.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), for example, requires that even non-perishable foods be stored below 78 degrees, so our electric bills are huge (required air-conditioning piggybacking on the cost of refrigeration for our walk-in freezer and walk-in cooler.)
Included among other expenses are maintenance and insurance on our two trucks. We typically spend about $500 a week just for gas.
And food costs keep climbing as well. This past calendar year (2022), Our Lady's Pantry spent more than $65,000 for food for our families. Thanks to the Knights of Columbus, some of our income for food comes through our monthly Project Hunger collections at Prince of Peace and Our Lady of Guadalupe. We also have been receiving grants for food from a number of local philanthropic groups, including the Interfaith Council/Nearly New Shop. Most of the rest of our support comes from individual donations from this generous community.
If you wish to help with Pantry expenses, kindly send a check to: Our Lady's Pantry; 16650 U.S. Highway 301 South; Wimauma, Fl. 33598. If you wish to designate your gift specifically for food — please note that designation on your check. You can also designate your gift towards operating expenses. Or just donate on Project Hunger weekend at Prince of Peace, the second weekend of the month — or Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission, the first weekend of the month. Thank you for helping us to help others.