Several endowments within the Catholic Community Foundation support many ministries and programs devoted to feeding the hungry. A focus on one such ministry gives a true sense of the strength and depth of that commitment.
Located in the Lansdowne area of Baltimore, St. Clement I is home to an Interfaith Food Pantry. The Pantry was started some fifteen years ago, in part as a response to the need created by a then-recession. In a 2013 issue of The Baltimore Sun, the food pantry was profiled. The article described, “It is a Wednesday evening in Lansdowne and the Washington Avenue campus of St. Clement I Church is bustling with activity. Both Baltimore County and Baltimore City residents file through the front doors, down the entry hallway and into the church’s kitchen area to collect enough food to last their families through the end of the week.”
Today, the Interfaith Food Pantry is still going strong and still fulfilling a need, thanks in part to The St. Clement Parish Endowment Fund. St. Clement’s Pastor, Father Andrew Aaron – Father Andy as he is known by his parishioners – said, “It just started out a very small thing, run out of a garage that’s owned by the parish.” More people started coming, and now nearly 90 families a month are helped on the two Saturdays the Interfaith Food Pantry is open. The efforts of the food pantry also receive support from the Maryland Food Bank.
Another aspect of the commitment at St. Clement is a “backpack program,” that helps to feed children at an area elementary school. Once a week, students receive backpacks filled with lunches for the week. About 50 children are being helped through this program.
Notably, St. Clement I also uses a portion of its endowment to help provide assistance to its parish mission in Mato Grosso, Peru too.
So much compassionate care from just one endowment fund.
