Dear Editor,
Every week dedicated volunteers from St. Joseph Catholic Church here in Los Banos selflessly staff our St. Theresa of Calcutta Food Pantry. They collect, organize, and distribute over 250 grocery bags of essential food to many very needy recipients in our community.
Early on Friday mornings, rain or shine, cars line up down Center Avenue and sometimes even down Pacheco Boulevard just to get into our church parking lot to get a bag of food.
Frequently, there are two to three families in each car. The need for food in our community is great. We appreciate how so many of our very generous parishioners, our friends, and our neighbors donate the food that makes this outreach effort so successful every week.
We are always in need of non-perishable staples like beans, rice, pasta, pasta sauce, cooking oils, mayonnaise, and canned goods like soups and chili. The need also includes things like condiments, canned fruits and vegetables, protein bars and even cereals too. The list goes on, and the need is continuous all year. Our food pantry frequently gets depleted and needs to be re-stocked every week.
As you do your weekly shopping, consider the needy. Buy some of the essential non-perishable goods mentioned here. You can bring your donations to St. Joseph Catholic Church at 1621 Center Ave, Los Banos, after our weekend Masses, or to the Parish office during service hours listed below. Our usher ministry stands ready to accept your generous and very necessary donations. We also accept checks.
Please make your check payable to St. Joseph Catholic Church. Be sure to list “Food Pantry” in the message line.
The Knights of Columbus will be manning a table at the front entrance to the church to accept your donations after all of the Masses this weekend. For more information, call our church office from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. (209) 826-4246. May God bless you and thank you so much for your help.
— Larry Byers, Los Banos
