Thursday, 20 September 2012 08:50

By Heather Welch
The mission of the food pantry at Catholic Charities has always been to provide nutritious and flavorful food for hungry families in the diocese, but its name has been changed to “Our Daily Bread Food Pantry” to better reflect its work.
The pantry, located at 2825 S. Hillside, offers a “shopping experience,” including volunteer personal shopping assistants, who help visitors choose foods their families will enjoy.
Catholic Charities Executive Director Cynthia Colbert said the name draws from prayer and scripture.
“Regardless of your faith, the words ‘give us this day our daily bread’ are familiar and the prayer brings comfort when said in any language,” Colbert said. “Bread is a part of so much of scripture, including the Wedding Feast at Cana, the miracle of loaves and fishes, and the institution of the Eucharist.”
She added that the name also reflects the legacy and work of the Bread of Life pantry which formerly operated at the location.
The Our Daily Bread Food Pantry is the only one in the area offering a client-choice model of service, allowing guests to “shop” and choose food items for their families.
“It is designed for guests to choose food items for their families based on their particular tastes, nutritional requirements, and even allergies,” Colbert said. “Guests seem impressed and pleased with this mode of service, and our staff and volunteers enjoy it as well.”
The pantry, which moved in February from a location adjacent to the St. Anthony Family Shelter to its new location at 2825 S. Hillside, features Saturday hours for clients who are unable to visit during the week. This winter Our Daily Bread Food Pantry will take its delivery and distribution services on the road as part of a seed grant from VolunteerKansas.

Details about Our Daily Bread Food Pantry
The pantry is open from 8:30 a.m. to noon Tuesday through Thursday, and from 9 a.m. to noon on the second and fourth Saturdays of the month.
New clients need:
• Photo identification for the person picking up food.
• The actual proof of identification (not copies) for all other people living in the household (i.e. social security card, birth certificate, medical card, school ID, etc.
• Proof of current address such as an item mailed to your home within the last 30 days, clearly marked with your name, date and address.