Serving the community since the 1980s, the St. Rita Food Pantry in Harahan has consistently put food in the bellies of those in need. It has approximately 170 registrations in its system who are served on a weekly basis.
The pantry is housed in a 15-foot by 40-inch trailer parked in the back parking lot of the Knights of Columbus Hall, located at 375 Oak St. The pantry serves the 70123-zip code, which encompasses Harahan and River Ridge.
"Originally, the food pantry was operated out of St. Rita Church on Jefferson Highway, in the school building on the side of the gym," Joey Roman, volunteer pantry manager, said. "As the pantry grew and the school added additional pre-K classes, we had to move to a new location. That was about 10 years ago."
A variety of community groups help stock the pantry.
"The St. Rita Vincent de Paul group along with the Knights of Columbus from St. Rita and St. Matthew Churches work together to support the pantry," he said. "The pantry is an extension of our mission to serve others and help the needy and directly impact people."
The pantry has 25 volunteers who work in teams of five. The teams serve one week a month at the pantry that is open on Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. On average, the pantry serves 35 to 40 people weekly. Lately, the need has hit a high of 50 per week and during the holiday season, the pantry expects around 75 people.
"We run things a little differently than other food banks, instead of having clients using a basket or bag and shopping through the merchandise themselves, we have a menu that they can check off and select the items what they want monthly or weekly and our staff of volunteers will fill the order and have it ready," Roman said. "The holidays really stretch our limits with the number of orders we fill, but that is okay, we always manage."
The pantry serves the young to the elderly.
"Currently, we have about 20 to 25 kids that we serve on a regular basis along with 75 adults and 10 to 15 seniors," he said. "We help a lot of elderly people and single individuals as well as disabled persons who need our assistance."
When an individual or family registers at the pantry, all information is private and confidential. Individuals or families who live in Harahan and need help can go directly to the pantry to see if they qualify and those who live in River Ridge should contact the St. Matthew rectory.
"Most people come to the pantry only when they need it, while others rely on us to survive," Roman said. "We have some regulars that we have gotten to know so well that if they don't come to pick up their food, because of a doctor's appointment or something, we will make special arrangements to deliver to them so they don't go without food."
As of late, the pantry is starting to burst at the limits at what is can handle both physically and monetarily.
The pantry relies on donations in order to operate and serve those in need. Both St. Rita and St. Matthew schools and parishes have canned food drives for the pantry and each month the St. Rita and St. Matthew Knights of Columbus organize a dine-out day or days at local restaurants in an effort to raise money to support the food pantry.
"We are fortunate that Camellia donates red beans each month to us and that the Knights of Columbus donate money on a regular basis," Roman said. "Also, a company called Harvest that works with nonprofit organizations arranged for us to collaborate with Pizza Hut on David Drive. They donate 15 to 30 pizzas a month to us, which is a nice treat."
A main support of the effort, however, is money.
"We can always use donations, both monetary and nonperishable food items. I know there are a lot of drives right now for the hurricane victims, and rightfully so, but I hope we don't get forgotten about," he said. "For some of the people that come to the pantry, it's like a storm has hit them every single day. They depend on us for their very survival."
To make a donation or help out, call the St. Rita rectory at 504.737.2915 or stop by the pantry.
Kim Roberts writes about people and events in East Jefferson. To reach her, email k_rob136@cox.net.
