Last updated on September 16, 2008

Our Lady of Rosary Food Pantry's mission is to improve the quality of life of all the needy families and individuals in Fox Point Providence and in the surrounding communities by providing food, clothing, furniture and appliances. We provide food to the poor regardless of their race, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity or religion. We are one of the few pantries that exist in Fox Point.

Our vision is not only to provide food assistance, but also to help our clients become better-informed individuals through health and educational programs provided by our partnership with Heart & Soul Community Services, Inc. As the saying goes: “Give someone a fish and you feed them for one day, teach them how to fish and you feed them for a lifetime.”

“A hundred years from now…it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove…, but the world may be different because… I was important in the life of a person” ~unknown~

Description:
WHERE IS OLR FOOD PANTRY?

OLR Food Pantry is located in Fox Point, one of the oldest neighborhoods in Providence, Rhode Island. The population, with increasing numbers of Hispanics, is largely Portuguese and Cape Verdean lower to middle income families living in two- and three-family homes. Almost thirty percent of the population has an income below the poverty level, and the cost of housing is sixty-two percent higher than the citywide average. Established in 2000, Our Lady of the Rosary Food Pantry addresses some of the needs of the people in this neighborhood.

WHO ARE OUR CLIENTS?

Most clients are immigrants to the United States, many of them recent arrivals. Large numbers are unemployed due to lack of skills, language barriers, or health issues. Those who do find work generally clean houses or do landscaping, but most do not have the financial stability or the wherewithal to make ends meet. OLR Food Pantry fills an important need in these families' lives.

The number of people in need of food assistance has been steadily climbing. In 2000, The OLR Food Pantry served 10 families with an average of four children: about 40 to 50 individuals. Today, we have over 200 families registered with us, over 600 individuals, which 360 are children, received over 25,000 pounds of food from the OLR Food Pantry each month. As we are growing, the demand always seems to be greater than our current resources.

WHAT SPECIAL-HELP PROGRAMS DO WE OFFER AT OLR FOOD PANTRY?

In addition to providing free food, OLR Food Pantry offers additional free programs and services to the community:

• Clothing, Furniture and Appliances
• A Back-To-School Program, providing school backpacks with school supplies and Clifford the Dog books in Portuguese and English to pre-school children (Courtesy of Reach Out and Read)
• Care Packages for the Homeless
• Thanksgiving Meal Packages
• Christmas Meal Packages
• Holiday Giving Tree
• Adopt-A-Family Program
• Referral services
• Resource Center (Free Citizenship Classes)
Courtesy of Casa dos Açores da Nova
Inglaterra, Inc. and Fátima Martins Foundation
• Food Stamp Pre-screen Program
• Child Care Program while mothers shop in our
pantry (arts & crafts, reading & education)
• Community Service Program for the youth

• Health & Educational Programs through our partnership with Heart & Soul Community Services, Inc., which provides Free Survival and Basic English classes to the needy as funds are available
• We also provide Nutrition Classes etc.
  
  

The OLR Food Pantry also offers opportunities for youth to become involved in The OLR Food Pantry programs through community service hours, to instill in them a sense of responsibility, self-worth and pride. However, the greatest mission is to develop the awareness that they can make a difference in the community in which they live.

Our hope in the future is to provide the children with an after school program. A place where they can come and get help with their homework and a safe place to hang out. These children are often at risk for poor school performance due to poverty and other risk factors. For the immigrant parents we plan on offering English classes in order to improve they language skills so that they are able to find a better paying job to be able to support their own families (in the works. We believe we can best help these families by giving them the tools they need to empower themselves to become responsible and self-sufficient citizens.

Our accomplishments to date are the result of the hard work and dedication of our volunteers who are committed to help those who are less fortunate than most of us.

DONATED ITEMS NEEDED:

• Gift Cards (Thanksgiving, Christmas, and
Easter, especially)in denominations of $10&$20
• Large Coffee grinder
• Large Food scale
• A stock of toiletries for men, women,
children, and teens
• Blankets for the homeless
. Baby diapers

United Way Donor Option #6691

Please consider us when making your United Way donations by typing in OLR Food Pantry, 463 Benefit Street, Providence, RI 02903

WE BELIEVE that FOOD is a basic human right. No one should have to go hungry in a country as rich and great as ours. We know that we cannot eradicate poverty in America, but this is one way we can make a positive difference in our community.

“Never doubt that a small, group of thoughtful,committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
-Margaret Mead-

History:
WHY CHOOSE TO SERVE THE POOR IN OUR COMMUNITY?

One day, in the fall of 2000, as I was on my way to church, I saw a beggar on the front steps of the church. I noticed that as the man approached people on their way into church, he was ignored by all, as if he did not exist, as if he was not human. Likewise, I also ignored the man, not wanting to act differently from the rest. During the mass, I was overcome with guilt. I could not get this poor man off my mind. His face was disfigured and his body was very thin. I felt the urge to give him a donation. After Mass, when I went to find him, he was gone. I felt a deep pain in my heart, and at that moment, I made a promise that henceforth I would do what I could to help the poor, believing as Jesus instructed, "Whatever you do to the least of my people, you do unto me."

My name is Matilda Amaral and I am the founder and Director of Our Lady of the Rosary Food Pantry. Seeing the homeless and the less fortunate amidst my neighborhoods has drawn me to want to help them. That is why I established Our Lady of the Rosary Food Pantry in the year 2000. This is my eight year running Our Lady of the Rosary Food Pantry (O.L.R. Food Pantry). I have given my heart and soul to OLR Food Pantry and continue to do so and never have regret it for a moment in time.

As Mother Theresa once said, "We can do no great things, only small things with great love."

Please consider volunteering with us!

Contact person: Matilda Amaral, Director, (401) 453-0174, (email)
Office fax number: (401) 421-0783

Address:

Mailing Address Only: 463 Benefit Street Providence, RI 02903 (See a map)

Web Site: None specified

Directions:

mailing address only

Miscellaneous Information

Handicap accessible?
	No
Interests Served:
	Helping People in Crisis
Does your agency accept court-appointed volunteers?
	No
What type of organization
	Nonprofit 501(c)(3)

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