Food pantries in the diocese and in Worcester County are doing the work of Christ, caring for the homeless, caring for the poor and taking care of those who are much less fortunate than ourselves, Bishop McManus said.
He spoke Monday to a meeting of about 50 people who serve at food pantries in Worcester County. The group met in the St. Francis Xavier Center, the food pantry and soup kitchen at St. John Parish on Temple Street, which serves free breakfasts and lunches to the poor, the homeless, the elderly and anyone else who comes in.
The aim of the meeting was to discuss how to improve food pantries for both clients and volunteers. The bishop applauded the planning of the meeting, saying that from a common sense point of view, it is better to have several minds working together rather than one mind working in isolation.
The idea of collaboration in terms of feeding the hungry and attending to those in need in Worcester County is something that should be a common effort, he said. The coming together of those at the meeting was an important point in that dynamic.
The bishop said from a Catholic, Christian point of view, a moral tradition is what is called the seven corporal works of mercy, one of which is to feed the hungry. That is rooted in Sacred Scripture in the words of Jesus, who said we will be judged whether will be worthy to share eternally in the Kingdom of Heaven by how we treat the poor, the homeless and those less fortunate than we are.
The bishop said Pope Francis is a champion of the downcast around the world. When he was elected pope, a cardinal said to him “remember the poor.”
The pope often has talked about going out to the peripheries, to the margins of society, to take care of those people who cannot take care of themselves, he noted.
The bishop said the three “peripheries” in Worcester County that can be addressed by the food pantries are the homeless, the elderly and the working poor.
He said homeless people, some of whom may not have eaten for days, receive a great service from food pantries in the city and beyond that feed the people with empty stomachs. Some of the homeless go from shelter to shelter to receive nutritional food.
He said the elderly who live on fixed incomes and cannot make their budgets stretch to provide enough food depend on food pantries. He said he was surprised to learn a few years ago on a trip to the St. John Paul II Parish food pantry in Southbridge that most of their clients were elderly.
He said the divide between those who have and those who have not has grown precipitously. He said he is sure that people with families show up at food pantries because their pay checks are not big enough for them to buy enough food to keep their families strong.
He thanked the people at the gathering for what they do “and I pray that God will reward you for your goodness to those who are less fortunate than ourselves.”
Several discussion groups covered the following topics:
• Importance of nutrition in the food pantry: led by Tracy Paul, food pantry and nutrition center coordinator for Jeremiah’s Inn, Worcester.
• Improving computer intake systems and the importance of collecting the information: led by Jerry Beddes, IT manager for Catholic Charities, Worcester.
• Changing from a preset-item based food pantry to a client-choice food pantry and the effect on dignity for both client and staff: led by Walter Doyle, director of Urban Missionaries and St. Paul Cathedral food pantry.
• Collection of personal client information, best practices from Worcester County Food Bank and the Massachusetts Law Institute: led by Gina Plata-Nino, attorney and food security advocate, Central West Justice Center and Jean McMurray, executive director, Worcester County Food Bank.