New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Charles Kuperus helped us pass out food during the 2004 holidays.
For more information, contact
Kimberly Arias Pantry Manager, Ext. 424
For more information, contact
Lawrence LaRocca Acting Pantry Manager Ext. 424
The St. Paul's Community Development Corporation (SPCDC) Food Pantry began as a volunteer project of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in 1970. It has since outgrown its closet-sized beginnings and now encompasses a large space in the undercroft of St. Paul's Episcopal Church, maintaining an industrial freezer, accepting food donations daily, and maintaining a leadership role as one of the largest distributors of donated food in Passaic County, NJ.
Every Thanksgiving, SPCDC hosts a Holiday Food Drive, coordinating donations to provide meals and Thanksgiving Turkeys to hundreds of families.
The purpose of the SPCDC Food Pantry is to provide supplemental food assistance to individuals and families who are unable to financially meet their daily nutritional requirements. Our ultimate goal is to develop self-sufficiency in our clients. Our food assistance program is intended as a "hand-up," not a "handout" in helping individuals and families achieve greater stability in their lives.
Clients who demonstrate need receive emergency grocery packages each containing an equivalent of 20 meals per family member. SPCDC also distributes over 500 turkeys during the month of November as a part of our annual Thanksgiving Holiday Drive. The SPCDC Food Pantry also provides food supplies to our Emergency Men's Shelter Program when necessary.
The SPCDC Food Pantry is operated with the support of AmeriCorps*State Members, as well as volunteers from local area churches, civic organizations, Work First NJ, and the Urban League 55+ Job Training programs.
AmeriCorps Member
SPCDC carefully monitors clients through our Efforts to Outcomes Data Management System (ETO, Social Solutions, Inc.). Through this system, SPCDC knows that most clients use our pantry services only once per year. This is consistent with our mission to be an emergency resource for food assistance. Our goal is not to have participants depend on the SPCDC Food Pantry indefinitely. If this pattern emerges, SPCDC connects clients with relevant aid programs throughout our agency, as well as referrals for public assistance, general assistance, social security, and other forms of emergency services.
In 2021, the SPCDC Food Pantry provided services to 550 Heads of Household per month, a total of 2,382 beneficiaries (i.e. adults & K-12). This level of support equated to 552,220 meal equivalents distributed. The second most in SPCDC Food Pantry history - only surpassed by meal equivalents distributed in 2020.
St. Paul's Community Development Corporation
456 Van Houten Street
Paterson, NJ 07501