SSM, Catholic Charities team up to bolster community food pantry

When people are hungry, you give them something to eat, according to Matthew 25:35 and leadership from SSM St. Mary’s Hospital and Catholic Charities of Central and Northern Missouri.

The two Catholic organizations teamed up in Jefferson City the morning of April 18 in observance of Earth Day, as St. Mary’s staff volunteered to build new garden boxes and plant fruits and vegetables in the community garden of Catholic Charities.

All food grown in the garden will go to the Catholic Charities’ food pantry, located at 1025 Edmonds St. in Jefferson City, a client-choice pantry which replicates a grocery store shopping experience.

Chelsea Robbins, director of operations at Catholic Charities, said the collaboration gave her small team some much-needed help as it expands its community garden ahead of the summer.

“Strength in numbers, you know what I mean? We can come together to really make a difference,” Ms. Robbins said. “This is a way for us to unite the community and make sure we’re serving those who need it by helping to build that resilience and self-sufficiency as well.”

Ms. Robbins said her organization was approached by St. Mary’s chaplain Bobby Reed, who said the hospital was looking for a more impactful way to celebrate Earth Day than just handing out seedlings to staff members.

“We wanted to go beyond that, to kind of stretch ourselves,” Chaplain Reed said while taking a break from moving wheelbarrows full of dirt. “When you go back to who St. Francis was and what he taught us and what we want to mimic, it was really the people, you know, and filling their needs. Catholic Charities does that.”

“There are large, large possibilities here,” Chaplain Reed added. “So, we’re helping Catholic Charities grow that and making it part of our ministry. I think it’s a great thing to connect with the Earth, but the ultimate thing is to serve people.”

As a religious healthcare organization, SSM seeks to keep people both spiritually and physically healthy, said Chaplain Reed. Saturday’s project seemed to tick both boxes.

Debbie Jaegers and Erica Carroll, two registered nurses at St. Mary’s, agreed with that sentiment as they worked on planting blackberries and blueberries in one of the newly minted planter boxes.

“I think it’s great because this will be natural food,” Ms. Carroll said. “Natural food that’s not processed, none of that chemical stuff. It’ll be good, natural, healthy fruit.”

Chaplain Reed added that establishing food security and healthy eating options has become a priority of the SSM Health system as a whole.

“So many people go home (from the hospital) without food, and if you don’t have anything to eat, you’re not going to heal as quickly,” he said. “It’s a dual benefit for so many. It gives food for people who don’t have any, but it also helps in the healing process for patients who are leaving and don’t have that food security. If we can help accomplish that, it’s health across the board for so many.”

Chaplain Reed and Ms. Robbins both noted a renewed vigor and civic engagement among Catholics and Christians of all denominations. Both said they plan to steer that energy to further projects involving the web of Catholic charitable organizations spread across Mid-Missouri.

“There is a bigger need to fill for those generations to serve and see a change actually happen, to make change happen,” said Chaplain Reed. “Not just with money, not just financially, or having others do it. But to really see a change at ground level — I think this is that.”

Matthew McFarland is the county government and public safety reporter for the Jefferson City News Tribune (newstribune.com), which published a version of this article on April 19. This version is published here with permission.