Food Bank

"AND THE KING WILL ANSWER THEM, 'TRULY, I SAY TO YOU, AS YOU DID IT TO ONE OF THE LEAST OF THESE MY BRETHREN, YOU DID IT TO ME.'" MATTHEW 25:40

FOOD BANK

ABOUT US

The St. John the Baptist Food Bank was established on the principle of “feeding the poorest of the poor in our community without turning anyone away.” We provide or deliver weekly food assistance boxes to individuals and families within the Longmont community who are struggling with difficult times in their lives.

The Food Bank is an outreach ministry of the St. John the Baptist Catholic Parish and School. Our parish community is committed to helping Longmont residents during difficult life events and struggles by providing a weekly box of food to needy households. As a Catholic ministry, we are responding to Christ’s call to feed the hungry and care for our neighbors.

Our food boxes are distributed in one of the following ways:

  • Clients can visit our warehouse on South Lincoln Street and pick up their food box in person.
  • Homebound and disabled clients or those without reliable transportation can opt to have their weekly food boxes delivered to their doorstep.

The Food Bank is not a government-funded agency. Our funding comes exclusively from our parish community, and our labor is provided by many good-hearted volunteers.

CONTACT US

E-mail: foodbank@johnthebaptist.org

Phone: 303-678-1469

Location: 804 S. Lincoln Street Longmont, CO 80501

BUSINESS HOURS

10:30 am to 6:00 pm on Tuesday

10:30 am to 5:00 pm on Wednesday

 10:30 am to 1:00 pm on Thursday

HOW TO GET HELP

New clients need to fill out an application either in person at the Food Bank, or online via clicking the links below. You can also contact us at the Food Bank via phone or email if you need assistance with your application. A phone interview can be arranged – though please be prepared for delays in scheduling and processing.

The application asks for basic information such as name, address, phone number, members of the household, dietary restrictions and allergies, and income-expense estimates. We also ask for a photocopy of a current photo ID (such as a driver’s license or passport) that we keep as part of our records for identification purposes. You do not need to be a member of St. John the Baptist Parish to receive assistance.

Our food assistance is always intended to be temporary, following our mission statement of providing a “hand up” rather than a “hand out.” Active clients can expect up to six months of weekly assistance, at which point we will to a “check in” with our clients to see if additional assistance is needed.

WHAT WE CANNOT PROVIDE

The Food Bank is devoted exclusively to providing food assistance. As such, we can NOT offer non-food items (except for infant diapers, which we can provide in limited amounts). We are NOT permitted to offer financial assistance or other services, such as rent, hotel expenses, utilities, security deposits, gasoline, gifts cards, repairs, medical bills, housing help, or job searches.

DONATIONS

Our ministry relies exclusively on the generosity of our Parish and our community. Non-perishable food donations can be made at the St. John the Baptist Parish or at the Food Bank warehouse during regular business hours. Please be mindful of expiration dates on all packaging. We are not able to accept any damaged packages or containers, nor are we able to re-package food on site. If you have any questions regarding donations, please contact us by phone or by email.

Monetary donations can be sent to either location as well – with checks made out to “St. John the Baptist Food Bank.” SJB Parishioners can also make donations conveniently by credit card via FaithDirect. Just enter “Food Bank” under the Notes field.

NEEDED FOOD ITEMS

The following are the food items that we consider “staples” of our pantry – and thus we always try to have these items in stock:

  • Cereal and oatmeal
  • Canned vegetables
  • Canned and dried fruit
  • Canned pasta meals
  • Canned chili and stews
  • Canned meats (chicken, tuna, sausages, etc.)
  • Canned tomatoes and pasta sauce
  • Canned soup (esp. “hearty” and “chunky” varieties)
  • Nut butters and jelly
  • Dry and canned beans
  • Rice
  • Dry pasta and noodles (inc. ramen and Asian noodles)
  • Instant meals and side dishes (potatoes, pasta, rice, stuffing, etc.)
  • Boxed mac-n-cheese
  • Juice and other beverages

While not “staple” food items, we also frequently need the following additional items:

  • Non-dairy milk (almond, soy, rice, oat, etc.)
  • Gluten-free and dairy-free foods
  • Snack crackers
  • Granola and protein bars
  • Skillet meal helpers
  • Baking mixes and baking goods
  • Bread products
  • Condiments
  • Diapers (both children and adult sizes) and wipes
  • Baby food and formula

We are also always glad to receive donations of produce, meat, or eggs. Perishable donations should be brought to the warehouse earlier in the week (preferably Tuesday) to ensure freshness.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

If you are interested in helping out ministry, we are always looking for assistance in the following area: Warehouse Volunteers (stock shelves, prepare deliveries, build food boxes, process donations, package produce, and general cleaning), Backup Warehouse Volunteers (on-call volunteers to help cover warehouse duties when we are short-handed), Regular Drivers (deliver 3-5 food boxes to the same families once a week), and Substitute Drivers (on-call drivers who fill in when a regular driver is unable to deliver their weekly route). Please contact the Food Bank for more information if you would like to become a volunteer.

NEWS AND UPDATES

The Food Bank is seeing a rising number of new, incoming clients and families seeking food assistance. As a result, our stores of dry pantry items are not lasting as long as usual, and we are seeing a lot of dwindling staple goods. We could use donations of items such as mac-n-cheese, canned tuna, canned pasta meals, canned chilis & stews, instant meals & sides, canned and dry beans, large box cereal, and peanut butter. Some of these “common” items have not been available for a few weeks.

We are also very much in need of diapers, especially sizes six and seven (although four and five are also needed). Lastly, any gluten-free or dairy-free shelf-stable items would be very, very useful, as we have a lot of clients with family members dealing with such allergies.

Thank you for your continued support and prayers!