Customers started lining up at the curb outside of St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry at 6 a.m. An hour and a half  later, volunteers filled cars up with cardboard boxes of food, and handed out smaller boxes of food to individuals who arrived on foot.  

COVID-19 forced the non-profit organization to change the way they handle and distribute food to their clients every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Before the stay at home order was enforced on March 23rd, SVdP customers would line up in the warehouse and choose their own groceries from a large selection. 

Now, SVdP has shifted to a safer method of distribution. Volunteers box canned goods, meats, and produce into cardboard boxes, pile them onto skids, and wheel them outside to be handed out. 

The food bank accepts car pick-ups and individual walk-ups. Cars line up through the parking lot and down 30th street. Pieces of tape are placed on the sidewalk in front of SVdP so that the walk-up individuals can stay a safe 6-feet apart. 

But social distancing still remains an issue that SVdP knows they can’t completely comply with. 

“We’re trying to maintain the social distance … but due to the practicalities of giving them the food, we find it difficult,” said John Ryan, President of SVdP. “It’s just impossible.”

Volunteers are provided with masks and gloves, but they aren’t required to wear them. However, Ryan said that they encourage volunteers to practice being as safe as they can. Hand sanitizing stations are also set up around the warehouse, and stations are wiped down with disinfectant before and after shifts. 

Some volunteers also experienced issues with keeping a safe distance from others while handing out boxes at pick-up. 

“I’ve put things in by people’s feet before,” said Sharon Dan, a volunteer at SVdP. “You put things where they can fit, and sometimes that means you have to be up against people in the cars.” 

Although it’s complicated to maintain social distancing, SVdP is still successfully serving around 3,600 families a week, and Ryan thinks that this number will continue to increase. 

The boxes of food are handed out as one per family, and they contain a selection of non-perishable items as well as a couple of loaves of bread. During pick-up, volunteers also give each family two bags of produce, a carton of eggs, and a bag of meat. 

Walk-up individuals get a smaller box of non-perishables and get to choose extra items off of carts containing a variety of goods. 

Even though the SVdP food pantry is still helping thousands of people each week, Ryan hasn’t been able to help all of the employees at the food bank. Due to COVID-19, SVdP was forced to close down their thrift stores in Indianapolis – a large source of their funding. Without the money from these stores, SVdP had to furlough several of their food bank employees. 

“We need to continue to be able to purchase food, and we need to continue to pay those employees that are critical to the organization,” said Ryan. “[funding] is my major concern.” 

Many of the employees that were furloughed still use their time to come volunteer at the food bank to make sure that those who are in need of food are still receiving it, and SVdP encourages anyone who can to come volunteer as well.