Food and shelter are essential for survival. Food can provide the nutrition we need to grow, fight off illness and stay active. Shelter can protect us from extreme weather and safety threats.
Not knowing where the next meal comes from and where they will sleep at night are constant worries for those with limited resources.
An area food pantry has taken a bold step to address those foundational needs in hopes of offering the families they serve a greater sense of belonging and dignity.
Food pantries like the Gateway Food Pantry in Arnold have long been a source of ensuring that fresh produce and essential nutrients reach those who struggle to put food on the table.
The local pantry serves about 400 clients who live in Arnold, Imperial, the Jefferson County portion of Fenton and part of St. Louis County.
The pantry’s efforts offer economic relief in light of the burden that grocery costs can place on many of our neighbors.
By addressing the root causes of hunger, pantries hope to create more resilient and self-sufficient families, while also fostering a sense of community, dignity and hope.
But those at the local food pantry understand the need is much greater than putting food on the table. And providing clients with an opportunity to thrive was one of the motivating factors for the pantry to develop a housing program, said Gateway Executive Director Patrick McKelvey.
Over the last three years, the pantry surveyed its clients and found that the need for affordable housing was a consistent worry. So, Gateway employees and its board of directors invested six months in exploring how the pantry might help its clients find affordable housing.
The pantry purchased homes that they believe might be resold at the same price or higher if the pantry cannot sustain the housing program.
“It is a huge risk,” McKelvey acknowledged. “One way to mitigate that risk is to purchase homes that someone else would want if we have to move on. (But) the goal is not to move on. The goal is to buy more houses.”
Gateway plans to buy a third home by the end of this year and two more in 2027.
“We were able to cover the first two houses as a proof of concept,” he said. “From here, it is going to take the community, grants, and support from federal and state officials.”
The pantry’s goals are bold and valiant, and reflect a greater vision: Rather than treating the symptoms of poverty, they are focused on placing their clients in an environment where they can break the chains of poverty and can thrive.
McKelvey said it succinctly, “At best, we (the food pantry) are treating poverty. This (housing) program is a way for our clients to get out of a cycle of poverty and build a life.”
With that sort of vision, the goal expands beyond surviving to thriving. And that’s a bold aspiration that can inspire Jefferson County and beyond.