It’s called The Neighborhood Pantry, but food isn’t always its most important offering.
“Rules are secondary; food is secondary,” said Joey Abraham, a staff member of the Church of Genesis outreach. “Hearts are what matter most to us. We want them to know they are loved.”
Ron Wethli, a retired state police trooper who also serves the ministry, echoed that thought.
“It is important,” he said, “that people know there is someone who cares whether they live or die.”
The Neighborhood Pantry celebrated its 10th anniversary Saturday with a celebration that included popcorn, hot dogs, a bake sale and yard sale in addition to an afternoon of fellowship. Located in a former garage just across the alley from the Mahoningtown church, the pantry is supplied solely by donations, and invites clients to actually shop for what they need, rather than receive a pre-packaged box of items they may or may not want.
Initially, families get a certain number of credits per month with which to shop, but those credits decrease by 25 percent each month. However, more credits can be earned by attending pantry-sponsored self-improvement classes, by attending Bible study at Church of Genesis or by attending a church of the client’s choice at least three times in a month.
There are no income guidelines to be met, the Rev. Ron Eade explained, “but we do ask them to pay — not with money, but with credits that we give to them, and which they also can earn. By earning credits, they are able to stay on our program even longer than initially intended.”
That process also supports the pantry’s core value: DIGNITY, an acronym that includes the concepts of “Develop personal responsibility for your situation” and “ Involve yourself in the solution.”
That’s something that Elaine Cunningham, a client who presented gifts to staff members on behalf of the skills class in which she and her husband are involved, cherishes about The Neighborhood Pantry program.
“It’s a place where you don’t have to stand in line with your head down and have somebody hand you a box,” she said. “It’s a place to come for fellowship, to learn a few things, eat a little, give a little and then you’re rewarded with what we have earned.
“We leave happy, with our arms full and our dignity intact.”
Over the course of a decade, Wethli said, the Neighborhood Pantry and its programs have turned strangers into family.
“It’s a safe place for them to come and talk,” he said. “They may not know each other when they first come, but they become close. As an old cop, that’s a special thing to me.
“I tell everyone we have Grandma’s kitchen table here. I may not look like Grandma, but we’re here to talk with anyone who needs to talk. If a woman comes and wants to speak with a woman, she’ll get a woman to talk with. We guarantee that you will get a person who cares and will try to help.”
Moreover, the program is open to everyone.
“It doesn’t matter if you believe in God or Allah or Buddha,” Abraham said, “we love you, and you are welcome here.”
Among the community leaders and politicians who turned out to show their appreciation for the pantry’s efforts were state Rep. Chris Sainato and Lawrence County Commissioner Dan Vogler, as well as November election candidates Loretta Spielvogel (commissioner), MaryAnn Gavrile (New Castle City Council) and Mark Elisco (New Castle mayor).
Spielvogel, who grew up in Mahoningtown, believes the Neighborhood Pantry serves a greater good, even beyond helping its clients.
“It is part of community, and it is part of a safer neighborhood and a safer community because when everybody helps everybody out, and doing things that need to be done, you know your neighbor for your neighbor, not for who he or she is or is not,” she said.
“That’s how you rebuild your communities, that’s how you make them safer, that’s how you can combat crime and that’s how you can combat the drug crisis that we are having.”
