Did you know that LFCS has a small food closet in their St. Louis headquarters? It’s true! LFCS served over 50 different households in 2015. We use it to help our families when they are in a food crisis situation. We store dry and canned goods, as well as personal care items. The primary purpose is to assist our clients, but we are open to the general public as well. A household is welcome to visit us once a month to request food, anytime from 9am-5pm, Monday-Friday.
We would love your help keeping our shelves stocked. If you are considering making a donation to us or to another food pantry, please consider the following.
- Donate things you would personally eat.
- We get more canned squash and strange soup mixes than you would even believe. Stuff that sits on your shelf at home, also sits on our shelves in the pantry. It is best to stick to the basics.
- On that same note – STEP AWAY FROM THE CANNED GOODS. Most pantries will tell you they have a years’ worth of green beans, but never enough boxes of cereal. I always recommend donating dry goods. Rice, crackers, granola bars, cereal, mashed potato mixes, etc.
- Organize a drive, maybe with something specific in mind.
- You can call the pantry you have in mind to see in what areas they are lacking. The idea of a pasta drive or a personal hygiene drive might get more people interested in donating, and it also helps fill that specific need of the pantry.
- Think beyond the food
- Personal care products tend to be very expensive and for families that are struggling to make ends meet, they are low on the purchasing priority list. We always appreciate feminine products, hand soap, individually-wrapped paper towels and toilet paper, shampoo, laundry detergent, etc.
- Volunteer during the off-season
- We love our volunteers, and we always seem to get a surplus of them around Thanksgiving and Christmas. When Girl Scout troops or church groups offer to come in the middle of the summer, there is often a lot more for them to do, and the help is always greatly appreciated.
If you can donate CASH, it can help in so many ways! By giving cash, you are guaranteeing that the pantry staff can fill in the gaps however they see fit. To contact us about how you can best help LFCS keep their shelves stocked, please call Lydia Becker at (314) 754-2787. To locate your nearest food pantry in Missouri, check out this great website: http://www.foodpantries.org/st/Missouri