In 1993, the Father English Food Pantry in Paterson opened its doors to the local community. Housed in a 10 x 10 square foot room in the former St. Boniface Parish Hall on Main Street, it served fifty people each month

Today, the Father English Food Pantry encompasses the entire first floor of the building and serves over 20,000 people each month.

The building that is home to the Father English Food Pantry is 80 years old and it shows. A large hall with a stage originally created for parish and community events eight decades ago has become a crowded makeshift space retrofitted to provde help and outreach to many people.

In order to continue to provide food, clothing and other basic necessities of life to our brothers and sisters throughout Paterson, we plan to renovate the entire footprint of the Father English Food Pantry so we can better serve all who come to our doors now and in the future.

With your support of the Diocesan Ministries Appeal, you are treating people experiencing profound difficulties with the dignity they deserve as children of God and making the presence of His love known to all.

"For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave
me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me,
naked and you clothed me"(Matthew 25: 35-40)

• New Welcome/Waiting Area
• Expansion of Reach-In Coolers and Walk-In Freezers
• Reconfiguration of Space to Increase Shelving and Aisles
• Provide Regular Instruction to People on Healthy Eating with Emphasis on Reducing Diabetes
• Separate Emergency Services Area for People to Meet with Social Workers and Case Managers
• New and Enlarged Clothing Area/Thrift Shop and Expanded Veterans Clothing Closet
• Offer Instruction for English as a Second Language and Computer Classes
• Installing first-time HVAC System
• ADA Accessible Walkways, Ramps, Lifts and Bathrooms

We plan to renovate the entire footprint of the Father English Food Pantry so we can better serve all who come to our doors now and in the future.

The Diocesan Ministries Appeal will be committing $200,000 annually for the next three years toward the complete renovation of the Father English Food Pantry.

This will help provide enhanced support to the thousands who come to us in need each month.