Providence Food Pantry receives new cooler through grant monies

To put it one way, Sister Maureen Fallon, SP, indeed has the “Midas touch.” And to phrase it another way, the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana, have seen Providence at work yet again.

Sister Maureen became director of Providence Food Pantry, a ministry of the Sisters of Providence, in 2022. Since then, she has relentlessly pursued grants for upgrades for the building.

Living through the words of Saint Mother Theodore Guerin, Sister Maureen has “confidence in the Providence that so far has never failed us.”

Through her efforts, the pantry received an urgent needs grant in September 2023 from the Wabash Valley Community Foundation (WVCF) to help with the purchase of air conditioning cooling units for the building.

Earlier this year, after applying again through the WVCF, the pantry learned they were to receive more than $13,500 for a new refrigeration cooler, something Sister Maureen said was a necessity now that she has seen an uptick in the number of people utilizing the pantry weekly.

Installation

The cooler was recently installed. Sister Maureen said volunteers are cutting pallets at this time to put in the cooler to hold produce. Additional funding for the cooler also came from 100-Plus Women Who Care.

“The new walk-in cooler will be used to preserve the fresh fruits and vegetables we receive at the beginning of the week,” Sister Maureen said. “One of the goals is to provide healthy and nutritious foods to persons who might not otherwise be able to obtain.”

She added while the pantry currently has one walk-in cooler, it is “over-stuffed.”

“The need is greater to preserve those items in refrigeration,” Sister Maureen continued. “Frequently, the cooler we have is stacked high with milk, eggs, cheese and all kinds of vegetables and fruits in need of refrigeration. The more refrigerator space we have means less cramming and better preservation.”

Sister Maureen and others received grant money from WVCF during a presentation at the Terre Haute Convention Center in mid-April.

A ‘Blessing’

Sister Maureen said all of the grant money the pantry has received, in addition to all of the support from area donors, is a blessing.

“We are better able to serve the families who come to us as we provide meat, potatoes, onions and other vegetables as well as milk, bread, eggs, cereal and fresh fruits and vegetables,” she said.

Since becoming the pantry director, Sister Maureen said the ministry has received an additional three grants tallying just more than $10,000 and have applied for several others.

The pantry, located at 701 W. National Ave., West Terre Haute, is open to those in need every Thursday from 8-10:30 a.m. For more information, call 812-535-2544.