Kiwanis-backed church food pantry is always ready to extend a helping hand

A local church’s food pantry supported by the Kiwanis Club of South Arlington survived the Covid pandemic and is now meeting challenges brought on by current economic uncertainty.

“It’s just a part of who we are,” said Sally Diaz-Wells, social justice and outreach minister at Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Church.

“We try to be welcoming, we try to be loving,” Wells said at the Kiwanis club’s Oct. 15 meeting, detailing the history of the church’s food-pantry efforts.

“The landscape of who needs support has shifted over the past decade,” said Diaz-Wells, who has been in the position for the past nine years.

When it began in early 2017, the one-day-per-week (Wednesday) food initiative served about 235 families but expanded quickly to the point that 700 families soon were receiving a bag of groceries, Diaz-Wells said.

The arrival of Covid caused major challenges — operations were moved outdoors, proper spacing was observed, all in an effort to keep the initiative afloat using volunteers providing the “heart and soul of the effort,” Diaz-Wells said.

Fortunately, “none of us got Covid, we never had to shut down,” she said, saluting Father Timothy Hickey, CSSp, and other church leaders for supporting the effort during Covid and beyond.

After about two years, operations returned indoors. Despite Covid ebbing, the need has remained: For the fiscal year ending this June, more than 43,000 bags of groceries were given out to a clientele that includes about 90% repeat families and 10% new arrivals.

About 725 families on average currently arrive during the 8:30-to-11:30 morning window for Wednesday distributions, a figure down from an average of more than 900 last year. At its peak, 998 families were served in a single day.

Diaz-Wells said the one thing she imparts on staff and volunteers is to spread smiles.

“We’re just trying to be as open and welcoming as we can be,” she said. “We’ve always had an open-door policy.”

In addition, the church delivers groceries each week to more than 100 individuals with sickness or mobility issues, and works with two Arlington schools to ensure families there have enough to eat.

Donations of both money and non-perishable food are accepted. The church works with suppliers to augment donations and ensure “a good balance of both fresh and shelf-stable” offerings to those in need.

Our Lady Queen of Peace was founded in 1945 as a parish focusing predominantly on Black families, including those in the Green Valley community that surrounds the church. Today, it has a large, multidimensional membership.

“Everybody’s welcome there,” said Andres Tobar, a parishioner and current Kiwanis Club of South Arlington past president.

The pantry effort at Our Lady Queen of Peace is among safety-net initiatives financially supported by the club. A full list of agencies supported by the club can be found HERE.

Food support is a key effort of the club. In addition to the Our Lady Queen of Peace pantry, club members also support the Arlington Food Assistance Center and a three-day-a-week pantry operated by St. George’s Episcopal Church.

Club secretary Mila Lynne Floro, who with her husband Ken Grundborg works to support the St. George’s effort, said it takes a whole community to support those in need.

“So many churches are trying to help,” she said.