Groundbreaking set for new food pantry

A ceremonial groundbreaking is set for next week at the site of a new facility for the food pantry program at St. Mary's Cathedral in Cape Girardeau.

The ceremony will be at 11 a.m. Thursday behind the existing Catholic Social Ministries Food Pantry building at the intersection of South Sprigg and William streets. The site is across the street from St. Mary's Cathedral.

St. Mary's Cathedral and Old St. Vincent Church work together to provide the food distribution service. Members of both churches will participate in the groundbreaking along with the Rev. Edward Rice, bishop of the Springfield-Cape Girardeau Diocese, who will bless the construction site.

Established in 2006, Catholic Social Ministries Food Pantry serves about 640 families a month, totaling approximately 1,800 individuals, in Cape Girardeau County. It is staffed by 40 to 60 volunteers who organize and distribute food to pantry recipients every Tuesday and Saturday except during the last full week of the month.

The pantry's food is supplied by the Southeast Missouri Food Bank in Sikeston, Missouri, local grocery stores, food drives and private donations. Last year, the food pantry distributed approximately 430,000 pounds of food.

The new 6,000-square-foot food pantry will triple the space of the pantry's existing three locations and will include a loading dock to accommodate the pantry's truck, warehouse space, a walk-in cooler and freezer as well as additional bulk storage. With 16-foot ceilings, the food pantry will be able to accommodate palleted food racks.

The building will also include an office and client check-in areas that will be separate from food packaging and assembly areas.

According to a news release about the groundbreaking, the new space "will help the pantry become more effective in serving those in need" and will "provide a safe working environment for volunteers and efficient opportunities for additional food procurement."

The new food pantry building is slated for completion in the spring of 2022.

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