Parishoners of St. Joseph Catholic Church, St. Vincent de Paul volunteers and community members attended the groundbreaking ceremony last week for the new food pantry building in Farmington.
Rev. Rickey J. Valleroy said the money raised through the Beyond Sunday Capital Campaign at the parish will go to constructing a new food pantry building at the corner of Liberty Street and Carleton Street.
“Our vision is not just about a building, it’s about who we are as God’s people,” he said, noting the new building will offer clients shelter from inclement weather and a seating area, as well as easily-accessible restroom facilities.
The work also includes a new parking lot for the parish as well as a garden area.
Shirley Bieser serves as the president of the St. Vincent de Paul Conference which oversees the pantry.
Bieser said the conference is made up of 33 Catholic men and women filled with passion and joy, dedicated to helping neighbors in need regardless of faith.
“Our food pantry was opened…in the 70s by longtime parishioner Edward Pfaff, a prominent business man in Farmington who had a vision and saw the need to draw near to the poor,” she said.
At that time, Pfaff would provide food supplements to around 50 families per month from a small building – making several trips to St. Louis each month to purchase food for the clients.
Later on, Paul and Velma Lober donated the funds used to build the current pantry location.
Bieser said the pantry currently serves a little more than 250 families a month. She expressed her appreciation to events like the Help the Hungry Bake Sale and organizations like the United Way of St. Francois County that assist with funds for purchasing food.
“And now, through the Beyond Sunday Capital Campaign, a dream of a new building will become a reality,” she said. “Our parishioners support the corporal works that our volunteers do at this pantry.”
Mark Guyol is the president and CEO of the Roman Catholic Foundation of Eastern Missouri. He explained how the Beyond Sunday Capital Campaign works.
“We had the campaign across the entire Archidiocese of St. Louis,” he said. “Forty percent of the funds raised during the campaign as it is run in each parish goes to the parish’s local needs. Here, Father Rickey and his parishioners chose their 40 percent would go to help fund a new St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry.
“This is a beautiful social services work and obviously a need in the community. This is a beautiful thing they’ve done.”
Valleroy recognized the work of the Beyond Sunday Campaign team for their assistance. The team includes Chairman Paul Gaines, along with Bieser, Abe Aubuchon, Sandi Brooks, Lisa Cartee, Mark Halter and Scott Watson.
