(My Life in Christ: Part 1, Holy Trinity Monastery pg. 182):
"What infinite nothingness our food and drink represent on the one side, and what infinite grandeur the man himself who is fed by them represents on the other side! Is it not the greatest insanity for man, for this image of God, for this partaker of the divine nature, for whom... 'God may be all in all' (I Cor. 15:28)... to grudge food, drink, clothing, dwelling, and anything else earthly, corruptible and transitory! Therefore, do not let us be sparing of anything for our neighbour! O, what a great honour it is - to feed, to clothe, to give rest to the image of God! Most-gracious and Most-bountiful God; fill our hearts with mercy and bountifulness!"
Fr. Antonio Perdomo arrived in the Rio Grande Valley to be the Pastor of St. George’s Church in January 2002. It soon became apparent that the need for food and other assistance was very great indeed, as testified by the frequent requests made by those from our local community, who came both to the Church and his home, hungry and requesting food for themselves and their families. Nearly everyday, someone knocked on the Church doors asking for food. When the Parish kitchen had nothing available, it was the Perdomo family's own pantry which was raided. Their Pantry was raided frequently to share with other, but the needs were far greater than could be accommodated in this manner. So, what was at first an informal effort to respond to the need to feed those who regularly came to the Church later became a formal program.
With the blessing and support of the Parish, the doors were opened to St. George’s Food Pantry in the summer of 2004. Since that time, the Food Pantry has quickly grown to serve over 50 families each time it is opened to serve. The local Parish donates staple foods and supplies, as do those in our community. Our Parish’s International Bake Sale included a “Give A Can; Get A Cookie” component to help collect canned food supplies. Local businesses and residential retirement communities have also volunteered to be collection sites for canned goods. We long to make this a Pan-Orthodox effort! Although we are the only Orthodox Church in the Rio Grande Valley, and we serve our Lord Jesus Christ here on behalf of allOrthodox Christians. We pray to become “Partners” with the Pan-Orthodox Christian Community—both Parishes, and individuals or families—found throughout the region and this North American continent.
St. George’s Food Pantry now serves over 100 families – including many women with children and elderly – each time the program is open. Funding the ever-increasing numbers who come to us continues to be one of our greatest challenges.
From St. Basil the Great:
“The bread in your cupboard belongs to the hungry man; the coat hanging unused in your closet belongs to the man who needs it; the shoes rotting in your closet belong to the man who has no shoes; the money which you put in the bank belongs to the poor. You do wrong to everyone you could help, but fail to help.”
Father Speaks to Participants Waiting for St. George's Food Pantry to Open
Food Boxes Being Sorted by Participant Volunteers for Distribution
Father Instructs a Volunteer
Participants Sign-In & Pick Up Food Boxes
Map of Service Area from the Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley
Map of Rio Grande Valley Counties
Hidalgo County
is the most financially challenged of all counties
if the Rio Grande Valley Region.
St. George's Food Pantry
is there to help...
See "Hunger Resources" and Poverty Graph for the Region at
St. George’s Food Pantry Statistical Report: January 2006 – January 2007
Recent statistics have shown that HidalgoCounty, our county, is the 2nd most impoverished counties in the USA. Almost all of our Food Pantry recipients are families - women, children, elderly - who are Spanish-speaking and fairly new immigrants to Texas. Below are our Food Pantry statistics for the year 2006 through January 2007:
St. George Food Pantry Recipients Served
January 2006 – January 2007 Totals
January
Families Adults Children Totals
41 77 106 183
February
Families Adults Children
100 199 240 439
March
Families Adults Children
104 210 238 448
April
Families Adults Children
83 156 187 343
May
Families Adults Children
100 204 239 443
June
Families Adults Children
117 239 290 529
July
Families Adults Children
127 257 312 569
August
Families Adults Children
142 265 311 576
September
FamiliesAdultsChildren
154324323647
October
FamiliesAdultsChildren
194395483878
FamiliesAdultsChildren
204302406708
December
FamiliesAdultsChildren
209501453954
January 2007
FamiliesAdultsChildren
184385418803
Total Recipients Served January 2006 – January 2007:
FamiliesAdultsChildrenTotal
1,3662,6283,1355,773
Total Volunteer Hours Donated January 2006 – December 2006+
¡Gloria a Dios por todo! Direct your Questions, Comments or Feedback to (Por favor dirigir sus preguntas, dudas o comentarios al): 956-781-6114 or info@stgeorgepantry.org
