St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry

Coronavirus Update

**Food pantry open normal hours, but closed on Saturdays!
Staff members at the St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry in Madison have been closely monitoring the situation regarding spread of the coronavirus and the COVID-19 illness it causes.

COVID-19 updates are here

The health and safety of everyone who visits our service center is our primary concern. We are taking precautions necessary to keep our clients, volunteers and staff safe. Despite these circumstances, food scarcity remains a major issue for local households coping with poverty, and we are determined to help meet that need in the safest ways possible. This is a fluid situation, and we will continue to adapt and make changes to our standard operating procedures as needed.

Need Help with Food?

Video by Edgewood College students with FACTv help Some month, rent, utilities, bus fare, medical bills or fixing the car have stretched your budget and there’s nothing left to buy food this month. We can help.

We run one of the largest, busiest food pantries in Dane County. Our St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry operates on a customer-choice basis. Using “points” based on your household size, you can shop our pantry like a grocery store for the food you and your family prefer and will eat.

During a pantry shopping trip, you shop for about five days’ worth groceries. We work to keep the pantry well-stocked and try to offer many healthy food choices, including fresh fruits and vegetables, proteins, dairy, canned goods and staples like bread and cereal.

The pantry is open Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays 10:30 am to 2:30 pm; Thursdays 2:30 pm to 6:30 pm; and Saturdays 9:30 am to 11:30 am (*CLOSED on Saturdays starting April 4th, 2020, due to COVID-19). We’re closed on some, but not all holidays.

You may be eligible to use the food pantry if …

• You live a Dane County household with total income under 300 percent of the federal poverty level. (This increased 300 percent figure applies for now, during the COVID-19 crisis. See how your income compares by clicking here. Under rules for a federal program that supplies some pantry food, this total household-income eligibility figure will likely move to 200 percent later.)
• You can provide identification for each member of your household you’ll be shopping for.

If you have questions about pantry hours, your eligibility or the forms of  ID needed, please call us at 608-257-0919. Open five days per week, our centrally located food pantry is a busy place, where friendly volunteers guide pantry shoppers through the process. (Note that the pantry is closed on Sundays, Wednesdays and most holidays — and now on Saturdays, until further notice.)

Our current food pantry protocols include (as of June 10, 2020):

• Food pantry hours remain unchanged during the weekdays, closed on Saturdays starting April 4th 
• Food pantry clients no longer allowed into the building to shop
• Food packed in boxes, provided in the pantry lot, and typically loaded into vehicles.
• Proper hygiene promoted (see below) among volunteers and staff involved in food distribution – and all encouraged to stay home if feeling sick
• Gloves and hand-sanitizer readily accessible to volunteers and staff, and appropriate, frequent hand-washing and related hygiene required
• Disinfection of commonly touched areas of pantry equipment, surfaces, etc.
• An existing partnership with Second Harvest Food Bank of Southern Wisconsin and other suppliers to ensure we can continue to access food needed for the households we serve

The CDC recommends the following to help prevent the spread of COVID-19:

• Frequent washing of hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, and — if soap and water are not readily available — use of hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol
• Covering coughs and sneezes with a tissue or using the inside of the elbow
• Cleaning frequently touched objects and surfaces
• Staying home when sick

Questions and concerns may be directed to manager@svdpmadison.org or (608) 257-0919.

Catch us on the news:

WKOW Channel 27: https://wkow.com/2020/03/24/people-are-reliant-on-us-food-pantry-adapts-to-continue-serving-community/

Channel 3: https://www.channel3000.com/st-vincent-de-paul-sees-increase-at-food-pantry/

Channel 3: https://www.channel3000.com/food-banks-pantries-in-need-of-volunteers-food-funding-to-keep-up-with-growing-demand/

Know Your Madisonian in the Wisconsin State Journal, Chris Kane, Director of Client Services at St. Vincent de Paul Madison

Here to help with donations?

Donate monetarily here: svdpmadison.org/donate
This is a better option for us because we can purchase food in bulk at reduced prices and allows us to purchase what is most needed at the time. THANK YOU!

(NOTE: During the COVID-19 crisis, we are not encouraging direct donations of food from households.)
Donate food or personal items: We especially need toilet paper and other personal items, along with cleaning supplies for the clients. If you have a donation, please pull all the way around the back of our building (marked by the X on picture) at 2033 Fish Hatchery Road and volunteers will help you unload. For more information about donations of fresh garden produce or other food, please click here. THANK YOU!

Our food pantry is located at 2033 Fish Hatchery Road.

Here for Another Reason?

If you are trying to find out about how to volunteer at our food pantry, please click here for more information or here for our online volunteer application form.

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.