Moving Ahead: Providence Food Pantry

Before becoming the Director of Providence Food Pantry, Sister Maureen Fallon, SP, ministered as an Assistant Principal for Curriculum and Instruction at Bishop McNamara Catholic School in Kankakee, Illinois.

While in that ministry, every time she came back to Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, the Sister of Providence who entered the Congregation in 1977 always supported the pantry.

But when she took over running the food pantry for Sister Joseph Fillenwarth, SP, two years ago, she didn’t realize how immense the ministry really was.

“I never really understood the enormity of this service,” Sister Maureen admitted. “Before coming to the pantry, I taught chemistry at a high school and was an administrator. I had no prior knowledge of food pantries.”

The late Sister Brendan Harvey, SP, founded Providence Food Pantry 30 years ago. Originally, the pantry was in the basement of St. Leonard’s Parish facility in West Terre Haute. But when the Archdiocese of Indianapolis closed the church, the pantry moved to its current location at 701 W. National Ave., West Terre Haute.

100,000-plus Families

And during those 30 years of service, the pantry has served 101,300 families and more than 350,000 individuals. Each year, Providence Food Pantry distributes enough food that families can prepare more than 440,000 meals, meaning that in three decades, more than 13 million meals have been served.

As of January 2023, Sister Maureen became the official director of the pantry. The number of clients the ministry sees every Thursday between 8-10:30 a.m. has only grown since.

In 2020, the pantry served 8,082 clients and that number increased to 8,697 in 2021. The numbers continued to grow as in 2022. The pantry served 14,101 and saw an increase in 2023 to more than 19,000 individuals.

This past year, Sister Maureen said the pantry has served more than 22,000 individuals.

An Increase in Numbers

The increase in numbers is somewhat two-fold as many people were able to stay afloat without the need of food assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Some of these people have come back who have not been here for a couple of years because they needed additional assistance,” Sister Maureen said. “And this miracle has been made possible by our more than 125 unique volunteers, community partners and more than 400 financial supporters.”

So, the uptick in numbers was expected. But Sister Maureen was still surprised by an increase of more than 5,000 individuals in only two years.

Still, she leaned into the precedence set by Saint Mother Theodore Guerin. And she and the volunteers pressed on.

“Saint Mother Theodore prioritized service to our neighbors,” Sister Maureen said. “She really cared for the people who were local.”

Familiar Faces

Sister Maureen said many of the volunteers at the pantry know most of the clients who come through the doors every Thursday and the interaction between all helps the atmosphere.

“Our volunteers know the stories,” Sister Maureen said. “But they all have commitment and joy. They don’t get tired. They feel a lot of joy in being able to serve.

“You see the poverty. When people come through the lines, they have a look on their face like they wish they wouldn’t have to be here.”

A ‘Banner’ Year

This past year was also a banner year for the pantry regarding the receiving of grant monies that helped with the installation of new refrigerators, freezers, a generator and a new walk-in cooler.

Sister Maureen said heading into 2025, she intends to look into more grants that may help with the cost of repairing walls inside the building in addition to restoring the mural on the west side of the outside exterior, adding security cameras and more.

“I’ve come to understand that this is not a small ministry,” Sister Maureen said. “It’s not a small pantry. It’s a big pantry. And the community views the pantry as a staple.”

For more information, call 812-535-2544.