CRS Rice Bowl Grant Is Feeding the Hungry in Milford

Story and Photos by Shelley Wolf

Every week, George Romer feels like he is witnessing a miracle.

“I think of when Jesus fed thousands of people with a couple of loaves of bread and fish. It’s almost the same way,” says Romer, who is co-coordinator of the St. Raphael Food Pantry in Milford, a ministry of St. Raphael Parish in the Archdiocese of Hartford.

When you add up all the donated items, he says, it amounts to 30,000 meals distributed to individuals and families in need each year.

Located in the parish hall of St. Gabriel Church, which, along with St. Ann Church is now part of St. Raphael Parish, the pantry has been in operation since the late 1990s. The pantry is open for business every Thursday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. for those who meet the income qualifications, are state residents, and who make an appointment. Approximately 90 percent of the pantry’s clients live in Milford.

“Our mission is to provide a stop gap for people who run out of money before their next check, such as Social Security or state aid or from their job,” says Romer, who has been with the pantry for 12 years and received a St. Joseph Archdiocesan Medal of Appreciation this month.

These days, many of the pantry’s patrons are seniors, he reports, though there are also some large families.

Every Thursday, hungry neighbors select from the well-stocked pantry. They grab a carriage and are led through the pantry by a volunteer. Together they peruse dry goods on the shelves, meats in the freezer and fresh vegetables in boxes on the tables. There are detergents and personal care items available, too.

A dozen volunteers spend much of the week collecting fresh food and non-perishables donated by Connecticut Foodshare, Trader Joe’s, other pantries with overstock, and by parishioners of St. Raphael Parish. Then there’s the sorting and the stocking of shelves, and maintenance of refrigerators and freezers. Volunteers also pack 80 turkey baskets for Thanksgiving and hand out grocery store gift cards.

Co-coordinator Donna Hicks helps clients make reservations for an even flow through the small pantry. Hicks says she volunteers because her own mother struggled to put enough food on the table. 

“While our pantry is open only on Thursdays, we are working all week long to ensure that our clients can stock up on the food and items they need in an orderly and timely manner,” Romer adds. “It’s just a miracle watching it. Everything Jesus taught us had a purpose and a reason.”

The St. Raphael Food Pantry is able to operate thanks in part to a grant it received from the Catholic Relief Services Rice Bowl collection, which takes place in the Archdiocese of Hartford every Lent.

This year’s CRS Rice Bowl collection, which began on Ash Wednesday, is still underway. It ends on March 30, so there is still time for Catholics to turn in their Rice Bowls at their parish.

Each year, 25 percent of funds collected in the archdiocese remain in the archdiocese, where they are distributed as grants to parish-based programs that alleviate hunger and poverty. Awards are distributed in November for use the following year.

Last fall, grants were awarded to Assumption Church, Ansonia; St. Paul VI Parish, Hamden; St. Mary School, Milford; Blessed McGivney Parish, New Haven; St John Fisher Parish, Marlborough; Holy Disciples Parish, Watertown; and St. Rose of Lima Parish, Meriden.

CRS Rice Bowl is coordinated through the Archdiocese of Hartford’s Office for Catholic Social Justice Ministry. To learn more, visit https://archdioceseofhartford.org/office-for-catholic-social-justice.