Lorain police donate to St. Mary's Food Pantry

LORAIN — A downtown parish's food pantry received a windfall Thursday. The Lorain Police Department's Bearded Badges charity fund donated $5,000 to St. Mary's Parish, 309 W. Seventh St., for its monthly food pantry. The pantry served about 110 families last month, the Rev. Dan Divis said, but expects the need to grow as it moves into the holiday season and federal food benefits remained delayed. On Thursday afternoon a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to fully fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, by today. The decision comes after the administration said it would freeze payments for November as the government shutdown continued. The freeze sparked two federal lawsuits, with both judges ordering SNAP payments restart despite the federal shutdown. The police department's donation will be matched by an anonymous benefactor who pledged to match up to $15,000 of the donations the church receives by Nov. 17, Divis said. The announcement was made at Sunday's services, he said, and donations have poured in since then. "This is just overwhelming," Divis said of LPD's donation and the other gifts it received in the days since its announcement. The group's next choice pantry is Nov. 24, where attendees will have an option of turkey or chicken for their Thanksgiving holiday meal. Second Harvest Food Bank of North Central Ohio partners with the pantry and stocks some of its monthly offerings. The pantry, now in its 20th year, originally served 50 low-income families. It now serves more than 1,000 individuals — between 110 and 150 families — every month. It is open 4:30-6 p.m. the fourth Monday of each month in the parish's Johnston Hall. Alongside LPD's donation, Mayor Jack Bradley pledged 15 gift cards for additional turkeys in honor of Lorain police Officer Philip Wagner. Wagner, 35, died after being shot in an ambush on Colorado Avenue in July. The Bearded Badges program allows officers who wish to grow a beard to pay a $100 fee every six months into the department's charity fund for the privilege of well-groomed facial hair. Since 2019, the program has sponsored soccer and baseball teams, benefited veterans organizations and gave Lorain Schools teachers money to spend on school supplies. To donate to St. Mary's pantry, send checks payable to St. Mary Church Food Pantry, 309 W. Seventh St., Lorain, OH 44052. To find a food pantry or hot meal program near you, visit www.freshtrak.com. The Associated Press contributed to this story. Contact Carissa Woytach at (440) 329-7245 or cwoytach@chroniclet.com.