New Choice Pantry in Elizabeth
by Robert Mitchell
Captain Walter Droz said the new client choice food pantry at The Salvation Army in Elizabeth, N.J., has many advantages over the old system of simply handing someone a box.
“It seems to be the new way of doing pantries,” Droz said. “We’re certainly not the first to do it, but we’ve done some research and what they’ve found is that with a choice pantry, where the client can come in and choose what items he or she wants, it brings a sense of dignity because it gives them a choice. It gives them the opportunity to be part of the process.
“One of the things we have found so far since opening is that people are appreciative of being able to choose the things they want to take.”
Food management is another advantage to a choice pantry, Droz said. Before the new pantry opened with a ribbon-cutting in September, volunteers simply stuffed boxes and gave them to clients. Those food items that people didn’t ask for would sometimes sit on a shelf at the client’s home and go bad.
Getting to know them
The pantry, which operates several days a month by appointment, has two shopping carts. Clients get 15 minutes to go through and make their choices from canned goods, pasta, cereal, milk, eggs, meat, produce, fruit, and more. Around 90% of the products come from the Community FoodBank of New Jersey, Droz said, with the balance either purchased by the corps or donated by smaller agencies.
The Community FoodBank of New Jersey also donated shelving for the project, while Habitat for Humanity of Newark helped with renovations.
Droz said the new pantry serves an average of 175–190 families a month, or around 1,500 people. About 75% of the clients come from Elizabeth’s large Hispanic community, and Droz said the corps is seeing more two-income families struggling not only with food insecurity issues but the high cost of living in general.
“We are seeing some folks who used to be the ones helping us out by donating food now coming to us for assistance,” he said. “It’s a low percentage, but we do see some of those folks. Inflation has affected everybody.”
A listening ear
One of the biggest advantages of the choice pantry is it “opens up an avenue for a relationship” with clients, Droz said. He often accompanies the “shoppers” as they browse, giving him an opportunity to talk with them about their lives, The Salvation Army, programs and events at the corps, and the gospel of Jesus Christ.
“Before it was very transactional,” Droz said. “Everything was premade. This gives us a chance to talk to the clients and spend a little more time with them and build some kind of relationship to discuss further needs the client might have.”
As a pastor, he tries to offer hope and gives each client an invitation to church.
“I let them know there’s a way to be internally fed spiritually,” he said. “I connect that with the reason that they’re there. We tell them we do believe in God and would love to share with them what that means.
“We’re planting seeds. We haven’t seen those fruits yet, but I definitely believe they’re coming and it’s up to the Holy Spirit to move. We’re getting there.”
For more about The Salvation Army in Elizabeth, N.J., go to: easternusa.salvationarmy.org/new-jersey/elizabeth.
