Evergreen Seventh-day Adventist Church

Evergreen Food Pantry

Calendar dates 

An Adventist Outreach Mission
The Evergreen Food Pantry

7668 Glenwood Ave.
Boardman, Oh 44512

(Next to the Boardman public library)

We're open the 2nd & 4th Wednesday of each month from 9 AM – 12 Noon. 

Since 2005, we  were established to serve the community by extending a helping hand and providing food, support,
and love for those facing dire circumstances beyond their control. Come see us in our 15th anniversary year.
 
The Pantry is open the 1st & 3rd Wednesdays unless otherwise noted due to holiday schedule or weather.
You may pick up food ONCE per month on either the 1st or 3rd Wednesdays from our pantry. 

We are under rules and regulations through the Second The Harvest Food Bank of Youngstown. 
You will qualify to pick up food ONCE per month by providing demographics on the count of adults,
seniors and children in your home with your name and signature for guidelines.

Our Average Statics of Families helped bimonthly 

Serving an average over 180 adults and nearly 90 children comprising of over 120 households
at each monthly distribution. We expanded the food pantry in 2013 to include more storage to
serve the community needs.

Volunteers groups or organizations or individuals are needed to help stock deliveries and prepare
for our Wednesday distribution days; If you can help, please call the office. 

Please mention "pantry volunteer info"
Office 330.726.1645 

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Our Beginning 

Church Provides Food for Those in Need
Town Crier - Thursday March 2, 2006
By Jessica Ehrenberg

Former Pastor Shelvan Arunan (who started the pantry) & Food Pantry Director Harold Hrabowy stocked the shelves, preparing to lend a helping hand during our
fall opening in 2005.

SINCE NOVEMBER OF 2005 the Evergreen Seventh-day Adventist Church in Boardman has been feeding people in need through their food pantry. According to the church's pastor, Dr. Shelvan Arunan, the pantry is part of Evergreen's vision to reach the unreachable and love the unlovable.

"It has been a difficult year for low income families and seniors in the valley," said Arunan. "We as a church have a responsibility feeding the hungry whatever way we can. Some of them live with no income and others on very low fixed income. We especially think of our seniors who have limited incomes and are facing high energy cost and high prescription drugs. This leads them to take away the food from their daily intake. We just can't keep our eyes closed, we have to do something, we can. This food pantry is open for them."

Harold Hrabowy, an active regular attending non-member (Harold became a member in 2012 and now head deacon, since this printing) of the church and the director of the food pantry said that so far the people have found out about the pantry by word-of-mouth. "We really hope the word gets out about the pantry," he said. "Since we opened at the end of November, we have fed about 20 families. The pantry is not only for low income families, it is also for those who are falling on hard times at the moment too. So many of us have high gas bills or are trying to pay off debt and don't have money left over for groceries." The food pantry does not accept food donations for the pantry. The food for the pantry is supplied by the Second Harvest Food Bank. "We are not interested in getting food but in giving it to the people," said Arunan. Food can be picked up from the pantry on Wednesdays from 9:00 a.m. until noon. People will receive enough food to make three meals a day for three days. The church is located on Glenwood Avenue, next to the library in Boardman.

According to Hrabowy, those who are not able to pick up their food can have it delivered to them. He as well as other food bank assistants including Frank and Irma Bizub, John & Anna Bizub, and Richard & Charmaine Ray, help to deliver for and stock the pantry. Those who have questions about the food pantry can call Hrabowy at the church. Hrabowy said that complete confidence is kept for those who use the pantry. There is no income requirement to receive food items, only a couple questions including the amount of people in your household and your income, along with a signature are needed. The information, excluding your name is for Second Harvest's records only.

Arunan and his family are native of Sri-Lanka, where he visited last year to deliver food and build houses for those in need. He moved to the U.S. almost 17 years ago to pursue his religious education. In addition to serving as pastor at Evergreen in Boardman, he is also the pastor at the Warren Seventh-dayAdventist Church in Warren. He started a food pantry there several years ago and is currently feeding 90 families. At the Warren pantry, customers are able to "shop" and pick out the food they want, something the pastor hopes to implement soon at the Boardman pantry. "Allowing the people to choose what food they want is more respectful," said Arunan.

The pastor said that feeding the people of the community is something he feels that he is being called on to do. "We as a church are mindful of our community and their needs. We want to share with them what we have. Feeding the hungry is a passion for Jesus," Arunan said. "We have a passion to feed people."

The Evergreen Seventh-day Adventist Church food pantry is also open to people who live outside of Boardman Township. Reprinted by permission of the Town Crier