CLEVELAND — The St. Vincent de Paul Society’s Father Michael Wittman Ozanam Center food pantry community hosted an open house for their new location in East Cleveland.
They have served the East Cleveland community for nearly 20 years and wanted the community to see their new site at the Chambers Community Empowerment Center.
They offer emergency food bags, clothing, hygiene products and books.
Jack Bedell, the executive director of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, says residents were reluctant about traveling to the new location because they were concerned about carrying groceries back to their homes. Still, they are working to make it as accessible as possible.
“Many of them are getting food assistance of some kind but that doesn't necessarily cover all their food needs. If it's a family with several children, sometimes it's not enough to sustain them. So, the food pantry is a great resource for the neighborhood,” Bedell said.
East Cleveland is an area that desperately needs access to food. There are currently no grocery stores within walking distance and half of the residents in East Cleveland are eligible for food bank benefits, according to the Cleveland-based Centers for Community Solutions.
"We have people here in our own community that we need to be aware of and take care of, and that's what our mission is,” Advisory Board Member Carol Lee Iott said.
Many residents say they are grateful for the pantry because they wouldn’t have many other options for food and clothes. For example, East Cleveland resident Deborah Smith visits the pantry weekly for food and monthly for clothes she gives to her husband and kids.
“Times have been hard for my family; my husband and I work but we just have been struggling since we lost two homes,” Smith said.
Visiting the food pantry was something she thought she would never have to do, but most of her resources are going towards her home.
“We lost one home in a fire and a tree fell on our second home during a tornado, and after the fire I’m standing there and my children are sitting there without a pair of shoes. We didn't have coats, and I didn’t have something as simple as underwear,” Smith said.
Smith says she chooses to smile and trust God through these hard times.
“The pantry helps me mentally, not having to think about my daughter or one of my children not have something like shirts to put on to go to school or shoes,” Smith said.
The pantry is open from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. every Saturday at the Chambers Community Empowerment Center.
Bedell says they are looking for people to make monetary donations to their blanket Sunday fundraiser.
“It purchases beds and blankets for people that need that type of assistance, and also allows us to pay home hooting bills and utility bills in the winter months,” Bedell said.
