CHRIST THE KING PANTRY PROJECT
WAYS TO MAKE YOUR DONATION
Make checks payable to “CTK Pantry Project” and mail to Christ the King Parish, PO Box 1800, Mashpee, MA 02649
“Bear one another’s burdens and so you will fulfill the law of Christ.”
Galatians 6:2
THE CHALLENGES
At present, Christ the King Parish faces a challenge; how to adequately house and operate its weekly Food Pantry that has greatly expanded over the years. Due to the Pantry’s storage needs, we labor over adequate/available space to accommodate parish activities and hospitality to self-help groups and other community organizations that request the use of our facilities.
INADEQUATE SERVICE SPACE
Parish Hall doubles as pantry service center for food distribution. Each week volunteers need to set up and then break down tables and chairs. The proposed addition will provide a permanent space to serve our friends in need more efficiently.
INADEQUATE STORAGE SPACE
Much of our food and supplies are poorly stacked and jammed into cabinets, counters, and floor spaces not designed to accommodate these large volumes of products.
PANTRY GROWTH
The precipitous growth of our Pantry Program has overburdened the existing storage areas once used for parish needs that are no longer available.
Annual Operating Expenses
Christ the King Food Pantry
1989 ~ $1,200.00
2006 ~ $10,511.00
2022 ~ $71,300.00
INADEQUATE, HANDLING, AND WORKING CONDITIONS FOR VOLUNTEERS, ESPECIALLY OUR SENIORS.
Our large volume of goods, (6,037 lbs/week), must be offloaded and stored by hand. This limits our ability to efficiently process our bulk deliveries and more importantly puts our volunteers at increased risk of injury. The proposed delivery space and lift gate will allow our volunteers to safely offload and store products in proper storage racks.
Christ the King Parish Drive Thru Food Pantry August marks the 42nd month of Drive Thru
This month, the food pantry Delivered: 32,605 POUNDS OF FOOD Worth over $94,394.00 – 6,042 bags of groceries. We Served 236 unique households, representing 534 individuals (143 children, 254 adults, 137 seniors) for a total of 548 visits. 19 veterans were served for a total of 34 visits. We received 15 new applications. 42 home-bound households received food via transportation arranged by Cape Cod Cooperative Extension for a total of 116 visits. $1,975 in grocery gift cards (72 clients) $475 in thrift store vouchers (19 clients)
In addition, we gave out: 88 packages of diapers/wipes and 82 adult care packages. Pet food was given to over 198 clients (on average, 36% of our visitors request pet food each week).
How Do We Do It? 1,352 Volunteer Hours We sincerely thank all who have so generously supported the food pantry.
THE PROPOSED SOLUTIONS
Phase One A& B: The Parish Library and Pantry
A. The first phase would require carefully packing up and storing the contents of our present library to begin renovating the space behind the stage vacated by the library as an adequate storage area for the pantry supplies.
B. Once that is accomplished, the last quarter of the Parish Hall which is presently used for food storage for the pantry may then be transformed into the new library and conference area.
Phase Two: The Parish Community Outreach Center
Expand the existing gable end of our Parish Center towards the parking lot to create sufficient space that will enable our volunteers to hospitably welcome and assess the needs of those seeking assistance from the pantry. This additional space will provide a comfortable client waiting area while their requested grocery items are being assembled. The bags of groceries will be distributed from a large service counter. The service counter will be close to a walk- in refrigerator and freezer, as well as equipped with a pull-down security door for times when the pantry is not in operation. Thus, serving to assist with other parish, community, or self-help groups for gathering and/or meetings. A much needed loading dock will be constructed to better facilitate the weekly delivery and storage of supplies to the pantry and reduce the present risk of injury to our generous volunteers. The ability for drive-up service will also be created for those handicapped or for situations when it is inadvisable for groups to gather indoors, such as the recent pandemic.
THE PROJECTED COST: $2 million ~ IT WILL TAKE ALL OF US!
THE PARISH COMMUNITY OUTREACH CENTER
THERE IS A WAY FOR EVERYONE TO HELP!
Giving Opportunites
“I do not believe one can settle how much we ought to give. I am afraid the only safe rule is to give more than we can spare.” C.S. Lewis
Gifts of any amount are needed and welcome. Two commemorative plaques will be located in the new pantry addition for those wishing to be recognized at the level of $50,000+ to $4,000 and the level of $3,500 – $100.
Pledges may be made with an initial gift of $100 or more and fulfilled in installments made over 18 months from October 2023 through April 2025.
PLEDGES
Benefactors ~ $50,000 and more*
Donors ~ $25,000 to $49,000
Collaborators ~ $10,000 to $24,000
Supporters ~ $5,000 to $9,000
Helpers ~ $1,500 to $4,000
Friends ~ $100 to $1,000
* Naming Rights ~ In appreciation of the project, the top two benefactors above the level of $100,000 will be presented a plaque with name of the donor’s choice placed on the Pantry Facilities or the Parish Library in accord with the highest donor’s preference.
MEMORIAL GIFTS
Pantry Addition
Loading Dock Lift
Tables and Chairs (7)
Library Conference Room
Rear Stage Conversion for Storage
Porte Cochere
Walk-in Cooler/Freezer
Racks (11 large/10 small)
Stainless Steel Worktables (5)
Service Counter and Overhead Doors
If you’re interested in a Memorial Gift please make arrangements to meet with Fr. Healey directly.
Thank you for your generosity
WAYS TO MAKE YOUR DONATION
Make checks payable to “CTK Pantry Project” and mail to Christ the King Parish, PO Box 1800, Mashpee, MA 02649
COMMEMORATIVE PLAQUE
If you wish to be recognized on the Commemorative Plaque located in the Pantry addition
Christ the King Food Pantry Background
In 1989, after moving into a newly constructed parish complex, Monsignor Ronald A. Tosti, the founding pastor of Christ the King Parish, conscious of the gospel mandate to feed the hungry, encouraged the establishment of a weekly food pantry and entrusted its operation to the St. Vincent de Paul Society of the parish. “The Pantry” initially served an average of 10 households from the wider community each week and operated out of one room in the then new parish center. As word of the pantry spread, the number of families in need seeking assistance gradually increased, and so the operation moved to the larger parish hall each Wednesday from 9:00 a.m. to noon. The supplies for the pantry were stored mainly in one room adjacent to the parish kitchen and in the refrigerator and freezer in the parish kitchen.
Thirty-three years later, the weekly pantry serves an average of over 100 households each week from the greater Mashpee area and often beyond without regard to creed, race, or nationality with the hope of providing 5 days’ worth of food to those in need.
Annual Operating Expenses: Christ the King Food Pantry
1989 ~ $1,200.00
2006 ~ $10,511.00
2022 ~ $71,300.00
Funding for The Pantry comes primarily through donations to the Matthew 25 Fund of Christ the King Parish, as well as gifts to the Christ the King Conference of the St. Vincent de Paul Society. Additional funding comes through occasional grants from government and charitable sources and significant gifts from community and other organizations such as the Mashpee Women’s Club, the New Seabury Women’s Club, Mashpee Commons and various other fundraisers and donors.
Sources of Food and other Essential Supplies: The Pantry initially relied mainly on non-perishable food items donated by parishioners and then by the wider community through bins located in local grocery stores and other locations. The Pantry eventually partnered with The Greater Boston Food Bank, as a primary source of food. The Pantry also greatly benefits from local food drives conducted in the community by various organizations and schools. Weekly donations of baked goods are gratefully received from Roche Brothers and two local Stop and Shop stores.