Service to Our Neighbors
Food insecurity is a problem in our community, and St. Paul’s is in a great position to help address that problem.
The Bible recounts miracles of thousands of people being fed from only a few provisions. When you look closely, you will see that often Jesus’ followers and community members are reaching into their food supply to help their neighbors. With God, there is enough. There is always enough. We are called to do likewise. We look to not only feed our community but to be reminded of this abundance daily. We seek and serve Christ in all persons through the food ministries at St. Paul’s. The five food programs are detailed below.
We do not discriminate. Please see this non-discrimination statement.
If you need food assistance and have questions, please call the church at (816) 931-2850.
St. Paul’s Food Ministries
St. Paul’s Food Ministries seek to respect the dignity of every human being and serve others in a spirit of generosity through:
Distributing nutritious food and other products that enable people to live a healthy and comfortable life,
Serving all people, regardless of gender, age, ethnicity, race, nationality, sexual orientation, or gender identity,
Requiring integrity, respect, compassion, and honesty in all our interactions and activities,
Offering a welcoming environment that allows autonomy in choosing products that serve our guests' individual needs,
Providing opportunities for people to serve others through volunteering,
Establishing partnerships within the community in the spirit of serving others,
Acting as stewards of our resources, using them wisely and in the service of others.
All are welcome! We are a safe space.
Food Pantry
Our food pantry began operating more than 40 years ago. Today, we distribute free bags of groceries to everyone who comes to us for help.
The pantry is open:
Tuesdays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to noon
Wednesdays from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Preparation begins an hour or two before the start time and cleanup continues for a short time after the pantry closes. Volunteers need not stay the entire time. The pantry door is located on the south side of the church building, closest to Walnut Street.
Pantry volunteers may perform a variety of tasks; each of those tasks call for grace and friendliness. The tasks include unloading and sorting food deliveries, filling grocery bags with food, sorting items of large quantity into smaller portions for distribution, greeting pantry clients, distributing filled grocery bags directly to clients and helping pantry clients with fruit and vegetable selections during their visits.
You can volunteer for a regular slot to become a part of one of the teams or for shorter-term opportunities to serve.
Contact: Paul Herbers
THE EMERGENCY FOOD ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (TEFAP)
Once a month, volunteers organize and distribute directly to clients food delivered to St. Paul’s by Harvesters, a regional food bank.
TEFAP food distribution takes place in the church undercroft or parish hall during the morning of the third Saturday of each month from 10 a.m. to noon. Preparation begins before the start time and cleanup continues for a short time after closing. Volunteers are always needed, even if you can stop by for just an hour!
St. Paul’s receives delivery of several pallets of shelf-stable and frozen food from Harvesters each month. Friendly volunteers are needed to break down the pallets and repackage the food into family-sized boxes and bags. Then we open the doors to those in need and start handing out the food.
Contact: Gabe Beam
Senior Commodities Box Distribution
The Senior Commodities program provides boxes filled with food and juice to senior Missouri residents who meet age, income and residency requirements. One box weighing about 25 pounds is distributed each month to each client, along with a two-pound block of cheese. The boxes are filled before being delivered to St. Paul’s.
The boxes are distributed by volunteers to registered Senior Commodities clients during times when the food pantry is open. The times are Tuesdays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to noon and Wednesdays from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Clients pick up the boxes in the church’s south lobby, entered from the parking lot on the south side through the door under the covered driveway.
Gracious and friendly volunteers take client applications, check in clients and help clients carry out their food boxes to our parking lot, if there is a need and if the volunteer is able.
Contact: Ed Schultz
Meals on Wheels
The Meals on Wheels program operates on Sunday mornings with volunteers preparing meals and delivering them to about 45 households. This serves as a wonderful opportunity to make new friends and connections while helping others.
Meal preparation begins at 8 a.m. Sunday mornings in the kitchen at St. Paul’s. Deliveries can be made after the 10 a.m. worship service.
Volunteers cook, organize and/or make friendly deliveries of the meals and a few pantry supplies. They typically help one Sunday a month. Persons making deliveries use their own cars. Drivers often become familiar with the clients and do a check-in when they deliver the food.
Contact: Katrina Taggart
BackSnack Program
St. Paul’s supports the Harvesters BackSnack program by delivering food to two local schools to ensure that children at those schools have food over the weekends, when away from school-supplied meals.
The food is delivered to St. Paul’s where volunteers repackage and deliver the “BackSnacks” to the nearby schools. This requires moderately heavy lifting. The time commitment is one hour per week from October through mid-May.
Contact: Carolyn Gerwick
Giving the Basics is a community partner providing hygiene products that St. Paul’s delivers to pantry clients.
L’ecole St. Croix / Holy Cross School
Ravine a l’Anse, Haiti
Holy Cross School is a parochial school in the mountains of southern Haiti. It has no electricity, plumbing or running water. Support from St. Paul’s church and from St. Paul’s Episcopal Day School helps employ Haitian teachers to educate children in kindergarten and primary classes through ninth grade. We also help provide books, supplies and a lunch every school day; that lunch may be the only meal a child gets that day.
The St. Paul’s connection with Holy Cross School dates to 1987, when Fr. Andre Lozama, a Haitian Episcopal priest, came to Kansas City seeking help with establishing several Episcopal schools in southern Haiti.
Our biggest challenge today is reconstruction of school facilities damaged by an earthquake in 2021. Efforts have been complicated by collapse of the Haitian government and ensuing social strife. We have paused visits to the school because of those issues; the problems in Haiti have also contributed to a decline in enrollment from about 400 to 200. But we remain focused on reconstructing facilities and supporting the students and teachers of Holy Cross to help them build a better future.
With help through donations, St. Paul’s makes a difference in these children’s lives.
Contact: Ellen Aisenbrey
