Cheryl Zale, left, and Cheryl Brandt, who head up Our Father’s Pantry and Our Father’s Closet respectively, stand in front of the latter. The pantry was started by Sacred Heart Catholic Church to fill in the gap left by Roz Morgan shutting down a local pantry run through Our Father’s House. Sales from Our Father’s Closet resale store, also run by the church, are meant to financially support the pantry.

Text and Photos
By Leah Sander
InkFreeNews

WARSAW — Roz Morgan ran a local food pantry through Our Father’s House for more than 25 years, but last year, felt she couldn’t do it any longer due to health reasons.

So Sacred Heart Catholic Church stepped in and opened a pantry to fill in the gap.

That entity known as Our Father’s Pantry opened Dec. 5, 2022, at 2212 E. Winona Ave., Warsaw.

Sacred Heart church member Cheryl Zale said the church opted to honor Morgan through the name.

“We felt like Roz’s thing, that’s our legacy,” she said.

Just next door to the pantry at 2214 E. Winona Ave., Warsaw, is Our Father’s Closet, a clothing resale store the church opened on March 1. Inside people may find new or gently used men’s, women’s and kids’ clothing in all sizes along with shoes and accessories, with some items priced at $5 to $6.

Sales from the store are meant to financially support the operations of the pantry.

Both entities are under the umbrella of the St. Vincent de Paul Society, a worldwide Catholic organization overseeing social service entities.

The majority of the store’s and pantry’s volunteers attend Sacred Heart, but Zale and fellow church member Cheryl Brandt, who heads up the store, welcome non-church members and non-Catholics to volunteer as well.

People may inquire about volunteering by calling Zale at (574) 453-6970 or Brandt at (574) 551-2774 or stopping by when the pantry and store are open.

Our Father’s Pantry is open 2-5 p.m. Monday, Thursday and Friday. Our Father’s Closet is currently open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Both entities are closed for Good Friday, April 7.

Starting next week, Our Father’s Closet will be open 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday and Friday and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.

People may drop off clothing, food, other items such as formula, diapers and toiletries, and financial donations when the pantry and store are open or by taking them to Sacred Heart, 125 N. Harrison St., Warsaw.

Zale mentioned food disappears from the pantry quickly.

“We go through a lot of food, I’m telling you. It’s amazing to me,” she said. “This has been a big eye-opener for both of us.”

Around 60 families a week have been coming to get food.

People are allowed to come in once a week to get food. Zale said volunteers will pick out food for them that the people coming in prefer.

“Some people can’t cook (due to not having kitchen appliances),” she noted. “So we try to gear it to their needs.”

“If they’ve gone to some other place the same day they come to me, that’s fine because they just need help,” said Zale. “The prices have gone up so much in the grocery stores. The economy right now is really tough and even people who have in their family one job, they still can’t make ends meet, and there are people out of work.”

Zale said Our Father’s Pantry might eventually get some items from a food bank, but for now it relies solely on donations from people and stores.

“When we’re low on something … God provides, people donate,” she said.

Zale said volunteers treat the pantry patrons “with dignity.”

“We respect their wishes. We pray with them if they need it and want it … and … help them see the love of Christ, that they are loved, and give them hope.”

Decorative art on the wall at the pantry fits that theme, bearing Romans 15:13: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

To learn more visit its website.

Some of the food in the pantry. People may get items once a week.

Anyone is welcome to shop new or gently used items in the store, with some priced at $5 or $6.

Some of the evening apparel for sale.

A look at the kids’ shoe section.