Naples, FL — March 28, 2024 — It has been nearly four years since the start of COVID. When COVID lockdowns put people out of work in April of 2020, the direct food assistance program at St. Matthew’s House pivoted from a small food pantry visited by families a few times a week to a massive drive-through food distribution system.
“We went from serving 300 families a month to serving over 4,000 families in April of 2020 and the numbers kept climbing,” notes St. Matthew’s House CEO Steve Brooder. “Since April 2020, we have distributed over 700,000 boxes of groceries, produce, dairy and proteins with weekly drive-through distributions at various locations. This model also afforded minimal contact during COVID as recipients could simply open their trunk and have groceries loaded by volunteers.“
Then there was Hurricane Ian. The massive response by St. Matthew’s House to these extreme circumstances was made possible with the help of food bank partners, community food drives, individual donors, the Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation, the Community Foundation, and church partners as well as hundreds of volunteers, according to Brooder.
St. Matthew’s House food distributions will continue in LaBelle, Immokalee and at the Golden Gate Senior Center. However, on May 6, St. Matthew’s House is transitioning to a National Best Practice model for food pantries that is endorsed by Feeding America. With this model, qualified individuals and families are able to choose from a range of fresh meats, fruits and vegetables as well as staples at the St. Matthew’s House Food and Emergency Assistance Warehouse located at 4535 Domestic Avenue, Naples.
Collier County residents can arrive at designated times to select the items they prefer. Recipients will be qualified using their address, number of people in the household, frequency of their visits, and a maximum dollar value per visit.
This model will provide more comprehensive, personalized assistance to better serve individuals and families struggling with food insecurity. St. Matthew’s House also is adding a Community Services Center at the Food and Emergency Assistance Warehouse location to provide assistance with other issues food pantry clients may be facing, notes Brooder.
The Community Services Center will have available representatives from other agencies a few days a week to offer food assistance clients additional assistance with job-seeking, financial literacy, nutrition, menu planning and more. Clients also will be able to access a community computer.
“The added benefit of this single on-site model is that clients feel welcomed in a friendly atmosphere and, on selected days, will be able to access other services,” says St. Matthew’s House Director of Community Impact Lorna McClain. “This type of wrap-around service center eliminates the burden for low-income individuals to travel to multiple locations and sit through lengthy intake for these additional services. However, it is important to note that we have developed a proven model for drive-through distributions and can always pivot back to this model in the event of a local disaster,” she adds.
St. Matthew’s House Food and Emergency Assistance Warehouse pantry hours are Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Individuals can pre-qualify at www.stmatthewshouse.org or by calling 239-774-0500, extension 307.
About St. Matthew’s House
St. Matthew’s House is a faith-based 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization that, for 35 years, has provided innovative solutions to help those experiencing homelessness, hunger, substance abuse, and poverty in Southwest Florida. St. Matthew’s House has developed a unique social enterprise model that helps cover administrative expenses so that donations go toward programs and services to help those in need to realize fuller and more productive lives. The organization operates a Food Assistance Program; two homeless shelters; two temporary housing facilities; eight thrift stores; an award-winning commercial catering team, and LuLu’s Kitchen, a full-service restaurant that is open to the public. For more information, visit online at www.stmatthewshouse.org, call 239-774-0500 or follow the organization’s social media and YouTube pages.
