Toll Free: 1-800-869-6525

Address: 1404 East 9th Street, Cleveland, OH 44114

A former classroom in the 115-year-old St. Augustine School has a new purpose. Instead of being filled with rows of desks, books and other learning aids, the second-floor room looks like a mini grocery store. Tables, shelves and cupboards are arranged neatly with colorful displays of food, household and cleaning items, pet food, personal items, clothing and more.

Father Bill O’Donnell, pastor of St. Augustine Parish in Cleveland’s Tremont neighborhood, said when he became pastor about a year and a half ago, he learned that the parish food pantry and robust meal program were becoming part of Catholic Charities, Diocese of Cleveland.

“We lost something then,” he said, “so I asked if we could start our own food pantry.”

After getting permission, he tasked Deacon Chris DePenti with creating the new pantry. The result is the Community Cupboard, which had a soft opening in May and now is fully operational. Deacon DePenti and Father O’Donnell blessed the cupboard and had a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Aug. 28. The cupboard is part of the parish’s ministry to the poor.

The deacon said he spent months researching area food pantries to determine what people liked and disliked. “I interviewed clients as well as those running the pantries,” he said, noting he would wait outside and talk about the client’s experience, including what type of items they needed, what they were looking for and what they wanted from the pantry.

“I learned a lot,” he added.

His priorities were ensuring that pantry customers would have a sense of dignity and would be treated with respect. “I didn’t want it to have an impersonal look. I wanted it to look like a market,” he said. And thanks to help from a cadre of volunteers, it does.

Items are arranged neatly by categories. One table includes boxed and powdered milk and bottles of juices. An adjacent table is stacked with raisins, cans of various fruits and applesauce. Still another has boxes of pasta, noodles and other similar items. Another table features canned meats that can make a quick, protein-rich meal. Yet another has condiments like ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, salad dressings and syrup.

“One thing I learned was that people needed cleaning supplies and household items, things that weren’t available elsewhere,” Deacon DePenti said. Customers at the Community Cupboard can get paper towels, toilet tissue, sponges, laundry products, dish soap, hand sanitizer and other cleaning products, which are very popular items, he said, accounting for about half of what shoppers choose when visiting the cupboard.

Another table features travel-size personal products and yet another has shampoo, deodorant, soap, toothpaste, Band Aids and similar items. Still another display offers food and items for pets.

“We found that people are devoted to their pets and if they have to make a choice between feeding their pet or themselves, most times they will feed their pet,” the deacon said. Pet items aren’t available at most food pantries and were well received at the Community Cupboard.

One display Deacon DePenti pointed out was an old stepladder that had been repurposed with large, colorful wooden planks serving as shelves. It is stocked with baking items like sugar, flour, baking powder, mixes, plastic wrap and foil.

Another table has stacks of neatly folded T-shirts and a few other clothing items. The deacon plans to expand the clothing items into a new Community Closet across the hall using a similar concept to display closet items. “I want it to be attractive, not just rows of shelves filled with items.” He keeps an eye out for racks, hangers and other displays that can help offer customers a real shopping experience.

Customers are welcome to visit the Community Cupboard 5-7 p.m. Wednesdays and 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays. Volunteers ensure each customer has a pleasant, dignified shopping experience. They are greeted as they enter and a volunteer asks for their first name, ZIP code and the number of people they are shopping for. Otherwise, there is no registration process. The cupboard operates on an honor system and customers do not need proof of income. “If they have a need, we want to help them,” the deacon said. He keeps the data in order to apply for grants to help keep the cupboard stocked. “We get a lot of donations from people and from some merchants, but we also have to purchase certain things,” he said.

People can shop twice a month. They get a red plastic shopping basket to fill with the prescribed number of items from the various tables. When they finish shopping, a volunteer helps bag their items.

If a customer has mobility issues, a volunteer will explain what is available and will shop for the person. Deacon DePenti said the parish is planning to add an elevator to the building to make it accessible to all.

He credits the volunteers with ensuring the success of the Community Cupboard. “They made this what it is,” he added.

Donations for the Community Cupboard are welcomed. Click here for more information on the cupboard including how to volunteer, a link to the Amazon wish list

Subscribe! Sign up to receive news & updates

Toll Free: 1-800-869-6525

Address: 1404 East 9th Street, Cleveland, OH 44114

Notice of Data Security Incident

Our promise to protect, our pledge to heal.

To report an abuse, please contact local law enforcement and:

Kathleen McComb, Victim Assistance Coordinator

Catholic Diocese of Cleveland © 2022

Subscribe! Sign up to receive news & updates.