Recipients to get more choices at St. Matthew's House

It has been four years since the start of COVID. When COVID lockdowns put people out of work in April of 2020,  the direct food assistance program at St. Matthew’s House pivoted from a small food pantry visited by families a few times a week to a massive drive-through food distribution system.

We went from serving 300 families a month to serving over 4,000 families in April of 2020 and the numbers kept climbing. Since April 2020, we have distributed over 700,000 boxes of groceries, produce, dairy and proteins with weekly drive-through distributions at various locations. This model also afforded minimal contact during COVID as recipients could simply open their trunk and have groceries loaded by volunteers.

When Hurricane Ian hit in 2022, St. Matthew’s House responded to these extreme circumstances with a massive response. This was made possible with the help of our food bank partners, community food drives, individual donors, the Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation, Community Foundation, church partners and hundreds of volunteers.

St. Matthew’s House food distributions will continue to some of the area’s more distant locations of LaBelle, Immokalee and the Golden Gate Senior Center. Also, in the event of a local emergency, we are prepared to pivot back to drive-through distributions.

However, on May 6, we are transitioning from multi-location food distributions to a National Best Practice model for food pantries endorsed by Feeding America. This Best Practice model is being adopted by food pantries across the country.

Here is why. Instead of offering a box of pre-selected items, qualified recipients will have a choice of what they receive. A recent study funded by the Morgan Stanley Foundation and conducted by Feeding America and University of Chicago included 28 food banks and 111 food pantries. The study overwhelmingly indicates that choice is a better way to run a food pantry because people can shop for the items their household needs and wants.

With this model, qualified Collier County residents can arrive at designated times to choose from a range of fresh meats, fruits and vegetables as well as staples at the St. Matthew’s House Food and Emergency Assistance Warehouse located at 4535 Domestic Avenue, Naples.

Recipients will be qualified using their address, number of people in the household, frequency of their visits, and a maximum dollar value per visit. This model will provide more comprehensive, personalized assistance to better serve individuals and families struggling with food insecurity.

St. Matthew’s House also is expanding services at the Food and Emergency Assistance Warehouse  by adding a Community Services Center to provide assistance with other issues that food pantry clients may be facing.

St. Matthew’s House case managers as well as representatives from other agencies will be available a few days of the week to offer food assistance clients with additional help with job seeking, financial literacy, nutrition, menu planning and more. Clients also will be able to access a community computer. This type of wrap-around service center eliminates the burden on low-income individuals to travel to multiple locations and sit through lengthy intake for these additional services.

We will continue working with our many wonderful partners and volunteers to keep our 10,000-square-foot warehouse stocked and ready to serve those needing assistance. The public also can help by donating funds and food staples or volunteering.

For 35 years, St. Matthew’s House has been responding to community needs while continually introducing innovative programs and services to better serve the individuals and families who turn to us for help, hope and healing.

Starting May 6, St. Matthew’s House Food and Emergency Assistance Warehouse pantry hours will be Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Individuals can pre-qualify at stmatthewshouse.org or by calling 239-774-0500, extension 307.

Steve Brooder is CEO of St. Matthew’s House.

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Recipients to get more choices at St. Matthew's House