Sister Brendan Harvey, founder of Providence Food Pantry, offers a snack to two volunteers.

In one of the most impoverished townships in Vigo County, in west-central Indiana, Providence Food Pantry Inc. supplies food baskets to families in need. The pantry is housed in the basement of the former St. Leonard School at 110 N. Eighth St., West Terre Haute, Ind. From this small, unassuming headquarters, Providence Food Pantry serves nearly 3,000 families a year.

Providence Food Pantry, a sponsored ministry of the Sisters of Providence, is financed entirely by donations from church and civic groups in the area. The Sisters of Providence, the member churches in West Terre Haute (the Assembly of God, Bethany United Church of Christ, the United Church of Christ), four Methodist churches and two Catholic churches, all contribute to the maintenance of Providence Food Pantry. Several of the local schools contribute food during the course of the year. The Young Men's Club of West Terre Haute has been a regular benefactor. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) also has provided some funds.

Sister Brendan Harvey founded Providence Food Pantry in 1994. The current director is Sister Joseph Fillenwarth. Today, several Sisters of Providence, as well as dozens of lay volunteers from churches in West Terre Haute, volunteer at the pantry.

The Providence Food Pantry is a ministry in collaboration with The Connecting Link.

For more information about Providence Food Pantry, write to Sister Joseph Fillenwarth at 1 Sisters of Providence, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, IN 47876, or call 812-533-5805.

See Sister Joseph Fillenwarth ‘arrested’ for a good cause!