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A Load of Food Ready to Share! |
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Fr. Antonio at Food Bank |
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Local Watermelons Donated to Food Pantry |
History of the Food Pantry Program
From St. John of Kronstadt
(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 100 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 all Orthodox 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.
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.”
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Father Speaks to Participants Waiting for St. George's Food Pantry to Open |
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Food Boxes Being Sorted by Participant Volunteers for Distribution |
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Father Instructs a Volunteer |
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Participants Sign-In & Pick Up Food Boxes |
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Map of Service Area from the Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley |
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
the Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley Website
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