The St. Paul's Community Development Corporation (SPCDC) Food Pantry began as a volunteer project of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in 1970. It has since outgrown its closet-sized beginnings and now encompasses a large space in the undercroft of St. Paul's Episcopal Church, maintaining an industrial freezer, accepting fresh vegetable donations daily, and maintaining a leadership role as one of the largest distributors of donated food in Passaic County, NJ. The purpose of the SPCDC Food Pantry is to provide supplemental food assistance to individuals and families who are unable to financially meet their daily nutritional requirements. Our ultimate goal is to develop self-sufficiency in our clients. Our food assistance program is intended as a "hand-up," not a "handout" in helping individuals and families achieve greater stability in their lives. Clients who demonstrate need receive emergency grocery packages each containing an equivalent of 15 meals. We also distribute over 400 turkeys in November during our Thanksgiving Holiday Drive, and provide food to our Emergency Men's Shelter Program. The SPCDC Pantry is operated with help from AmeriCorps*State Members, volunteers from local area churches, civic organizations, as well as Work First NJ and PathStone volunteers. North Porch, an organization operated by a group known as Episcopal Church Women, supports Pantry operations by annually providing emergency supplies and food to over 100 women and new mothers, with special consideration for those awaiting Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) eligibility. Because SPCDC carefully monitors clients through our Efforts to Outcomes Data Management System (ETO, Social Solutions, Inc.), we know that most clients use the SPCDC Pantry only once per year. This is consistent with our mission, which is to be an emergency resource for food assistance. Our goal is not to have participants depend on the SPCDC Pantry for assistance indefinitely. If this pattern emerges, SPCDC connect clients with relevant aid programs throughout the agency, as well as referrals for public assistance, general assistance, social security, and other types of emergency services. In 2014, the SPCDC Food Pantry provided services to 3,880 Heads of Households who in turn were supporting 4,247 dependents (adults & K-12). This level of support equated to 415,620 meals distributed.
Services provided :
- food pantry
Appointments :
You can privately and easily book your appointment online for select services 24/7. For the full set of services, you can call (973) 710-3900 to book your appointment.
Address :
456 Van Houten St,
Paterson, NJ 07501.
Get Directions
Hours Of Operations :
- Mon:
- Tues:
- Wed:
- Thurs:
- Fri:
- Sat:
- Sun:
Help Residents of Cities:
- Paterson
Help Residents of Counties:
- Passaic
Appointments
You can privately and easily book your appointment online for select services 24/7.
For the full set of services, you can call (973) 710-3900 to book your appointment. Staff can also answer any questions you may have.
Food Pantry in Near By City
- Allendale
- Avenel
- Bayonne
- Bergenfield
- Bernardsville
- Bloomingdale
- Bogota
- Boonton
- Bound Brook
- Butler
- Caldwell
- Carlstadt
- Carteret
- Chatham
- Cliffside Park
- Clifton
- Closter
- Colonia
- Cresskill
- Demarest
- Dover
- Dumont
- Dunellen
- East Orange
- East Rutherford
- Edgewater
- Elizabeth
- Elmwood Park
- Emerson
- Englewood
- Englewood Cliffs
- Fair Lawn
- Fairview
- Fanwood
- Florham Park
- Fords
- Fort Lee
- Franklin
- Franklin Lakes
- Garfield
- Glen Ridge
- Glen Rock
- Hackensack
- Haledon
- Harrison
- Hasbrouck Heights
- Hawthorne
- Highland Park
- Hillsdale
- Hoboken
- Hopatcong
- Iselin
- Jersey City
- Keansburg
- Kearny
- Kenilworth
- Keyport
- Leonia
- Lincoln Park
- Linden
- Little Ferry
- Lodi
- Madison
- Martinsville
- Maywood
- Metuchen
- Middlesex
- Midland Park
- Montvale
- Morris Plains
- Morristown
- Mount Arlington
- Mountainside
- New Brunswick
- New Milford
- New Providence
- Newark
- North Arlington
- Norwood
- Oakland
- Oradell
- Palisades Park
- Paramus
- Park Ridge
- Passaic
- Paterson
- Perth Amboy
- Plainfield
- Pompton Lakes
- Rahway
- Ramsey
- Ridgefield
- Ridgefield Park
- Ridgewood
- Ringwood
- River Edge
- Rockaway
- Roseland
- Roselle
- Roselle Park
- Rutherford
- Secaucus
- Short Hills
- South Amboy
- South Plainfield
- Succasunna
- Summit
- Tenafly
- Totowa
- Union City
- Waldwick
- Wallington
- Wanaque
- Watchung
- West New York
- Westfield
- Westwood
- Wharton
- Woodcliff Lake
Tips for Visiting a Food Pantry
Show up early.
This is very important. This means you will be first in line and have a chance to get the items that are sought after and in limited quantities such as fresh produce, dairy and frozen food.
You don't usually need to show up hours ahead of time but coming at least an hour before is usually a good idea.
Remember all documentation.
Many food pantries require documentation to prove who you are, and in some cases, where you live.
This is to make sure people are not coming more than they are allowed or using fake names to do so. Call ahead of time to find out what documentation is needed.
It's just your photo ID and a piece of mail that verifies your address.
Use several food banks.
Using more than one food bank (when available) is smart because you may be able to get something at one that you may not get at another.
For instance, one may have a deal with a local gardener that gives them their extras. This may mean this food bank has more produce.
Eligible for other programs?
Ask your Department of Social Services office if you are eligible for other assistance programs to supplement your household’s food supply.
They can easily tell you if you can apply for WIC (Women and Infant Children), USDA Commodities or SNAP(Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits.
Ask about extras.
If you have special needs for infants or special diets, the pantries may be able to assist you.
Many times, they can help with diapers, baby formula, baby food, personal hygiene products, and even special diet items like gluten free or sugar free foods.
Go on different days of the week.
Depending on the food pantry, they may be open only one or two days a week or they may be open all seven days. When you have a choice, going midweek is often best as it is less crowded.
Be polite to workers.
Nearly everyone at a food bank is a volunteer. Be polite to the workers there as they often deal with highly emotional situations.
FAQ(Frequently Asked Questions)
1. What is the difference between a food bank and a food pantry?
Independent community food pantries are self-governing and usually distribute food to their clients on a once-a-month basis. A food bank is the storehouse for millions of pounds of food and other products that go out to the community. A food pantry functions as the arms that reach out to that community directly.
2. What kind of food is at a food pantry?
Specifically, food banks often need items like:
- Peanut butter
- Canned soup
- Canned fruit
- Canned vegetables
- Pasta
- Canned beans
- Canned stew
- Canned fish
3. Who can go to food pantry?
At the majority of food pantries, eligibility is based on self-attested need. You do not need to have a referral, and income is not a factor to receive food.
4. What is the difference between a food pantry and a soup kitchen?
A food pantry provides three-day food packages to families that have a place to live, but not enough food. These packages are designed to provide nutritionally balanced meals. Soup kitchens serve individuals in need of a hot meal, the only meal of the day for many of them.
5. How does a food pantry work?
Food Banks acquire large donations of edible but unmarketable food from the food industry and distribute it to organizations that feed hungry people. Then they provide this food to family in a need.