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James Mattocks Pantry Information

St. Matthew's has a small pantry on our campus where people leave non-perishable groceries and personal care items, and anyone in need can stop by at any time to get the items they need.

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The pantry has been named after a longtime member who recently passed away, James Mattocks. James had a heart for those in need and strongly supported this pantry.

Occasionally we have a perishable groceries giveaway where we provide certain items such as milk, meat, eggs, and cheese in coolers by the pantry. These events are announced on our webpage and Facebook so that the community is aware of them.

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Anyone can contribute shelf-stable groceries and/or money to the pantry, whether you are a member of St. Matthew's or not. This is a community effort and it takes a village!

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Below are some suggestions for items needed, but please feel free to donate any non-perishable food item or personal care item.

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James’ Pantry Suggested Items

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We will periodically purchase items from the food bank and store in the fellowship hall to go into the pantry as needed. We will try to announce when there are items in the hall, and it will be helpful to have folks stop by the hall regularly and re-stock the pantry.

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Scroll down for more information about James' Pantry and other outreach opportunities.

If you are able and the weather permits, it is really nice to provide fresh fruits and veggies in the pantry. They usually don’t stay in the pantry long enough to worry about spoiling.

 

Don’t forget non-food items as well, such as:

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  • Children’s books/activity books

  • Crayons

  • Soap

  • Toothpaste/toothbrushes

  • Laundry detergent

  • Dish soap

  • Shampoo

  • Feminine hygiene products

  • Diapers/wipes

  • Socks

  • Masks (covid)

  • Pet food

Food bank purchases will focus on proteins (canned meats, peanut butter, beans) with a few canned veggies/fruit. We will still need parishioners and community members to provide other items. The following items will always be needed to go with food bank purchased items:

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  • Bread (in summer, freeze before putting in the pantry)

  • Mayonnaise (for canned meats)

  • Rice

  • Potatoes

  • Cereals

  • Shelf stable milk or powdered milk

  • Mac & Cheese

  • Spaghetti and spaghetti sauce

  • Canned soups (please focus on protein)

  • Veggies (fresh or canned)

  • Fruits (fresh or canned)

  • Canned refried beans

  • Canned cheese sauce

  • Tortillas

  • All other food items welcome!

Suggestions on places to shop with lowest prices:

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Dollar Tree is cheapest for bread, mayonnaise, shelf stable milk, spaghetti/sauce, children’s books, crayons, most personal care items. Also jelly to go with peanut butter (but they tend to not have jars of peanut butter).

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Dollar General is good for children’s books, some personal care items, canned meats, peanut butter, refried beans, canned cheese sauce, tortillas.

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Walmart/Kroger – generic peanut butter, generic cereals/oatmeal, generic canned meats, rice, fresh veggies/fruits. 

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Watch for sales.

Other Outreach

Habitat for Humanity 


Each year we participate in an Apostles Build.  It is a local mission project involving local churches joining together to fund and construct a Habitat home in partnership with Habitat for Humanity of Saline County and a local family in need of affordable housing.

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CJOHN

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We participate in CJohn, a non-profit association of 15 Saline County churches, that has been providing food, clothing and other services to low-income county residents since 1976. Here is a link to learn more about it. Log in or sign up to view.

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Ralph Bunche Back to School Backpack Distribution

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We donate items each year to help fill backpacks for school children in Benton, Arkansas. For several years we have provided hundreds of ink pens for the backpacks!  This year we gathered over 1600 pencils!

 

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