Brush with flooding, storms can't derail St. Louis pantry

When March storms in St. Louis’ South Side flooded St. Anthony of Padua Food Pantry, volunteers and visitors looking for assistance teamed up to bring a deluge of community support of their own.  

With electricity out but Franciscan spirit in, they pitched in to dry out the basement ministry to continue the good work the community has counted on since 1991.  

“The gates opened,” said Rob Telthorst, St. Anthony of Padua Food Pantry director. “People who thought the pantry was open came to help mop up. It was surreal.”  

They helped swing open the pantry door within three days of the storm.  

After a tornado hit nearby in May, the pantry briefly closed due to power outages. With the help of youth volunteers, they quickly reopened and began supporting storm victims.  

Whether it’s a volunteer trekking 45-minutes from the suburbs or the community supplying a timely donation of crucial equipment, St. Anthony of Padua Food Pantry takes root in the faithful Franciscans who serve there and delivers hope to those in need.  

Br. Jim Lause, OFM, pastor of St. Anthony of Padua Parish, credits volunteers and donors for their dedication to the ministry. 

"The pantry provides a loving environment of respect and concern for every individual in need,” he said. “The volunteers and the staff have big hearts that put forth the love of Jesus and the Franciscan values of peace and joy to all who come to the door.” 

The food pantry offers service hours, shares parishioners' expertise and deepens community ties. (Photo courtesy of St. Anthony of Padua Food Pantry)

'An amazing network’  

This ministry is more than canned corn and condensed milk.  

It is a clothing bank where people can choose shirts, shoes and socks, plus toiletries. It’s a referral center for people who need help with utility bills and rent, are trying to escape domestic violence, or need elder care. In 2024, it helped to dispense 20,000 diapers.  

St. Anthony is where youth rack up service hours, parishioners offer help in their fields of expertise and relationships are fostered in the name of community support.  

“It is an amazing network that the Franciscans have built,” said Rob, a lawyer who started as a volunteer and became director six years ago. “I just inherited it. Our volunteer corps is the envy of other pantries. This experience has been spiritually transformative.”  

 Prayer and discernment have consistently supported the pantry's survival.  

A March thunderstorm is a light sprinkle compared to the challenges COVID-19 posed. As federally funded pantries closed, visits to St. Anthony skyrocketed, along with the need for donations and volunteers. “It’s an exercise in faith,” Rob said.  

“It is everything you think about a Franciscan mission, a bare-basics operation,” he said. “We’re in a basement with no central heating, there is no air-conditioning, it’s hotter than you-know-what in the summer, and we don’t do fundraisers. 

“God always provides.” 

St. Anthony of Padua Food Pantry cares for homeless people, some facing addiction or mental illness. (Photo courtesy of St. Anthony of Padua Food Pantry)

In a place of great need  

If you imagine a mob of like-hearted folks merrily filling boxes of food and stocking shelves, you have only part of the picture.  

St. Anthony of Padua Food Pantry is a frontline mission. As with many Franciscan ministries, it sits in a place of great need. Its visitors are people on the street, some battling addiction or mental illness, sometimes both. 

Others are in dire condition upon arrival, and wind up on a car ride to the ER instead. One woman struggled to walk up the ramp, while wearing a hospital bracelet. She’d come from her discharge from treatment for a gunshot wound. 

A teenage volunteer helped her to the door and cared for her throughout her visit. 

“Our volunteer didn’t miss a beat,” Rob said. “She was there to help from the start.” 

Sometimes, that means helping a victim of violence’s family cover funeral costs.  

“Everyone knows we are a safe place,” Rob said. “Even the troublemakers know. Their friends and family might need to come to St. Anthony.” 

St. Anthony of Padua Food Pantry offers multiple services, and director Rob Telthorst aims to broaden them. (Photo courtesy of St. Anthony of Padua Food Pantry)

Hopes for the future 

The demand continues to grow. Rob envisions a transition to a pantry remodel, expanded services, and more direct assistance. He hopes to switch to a client-choice model, allowing visitors to shop instead of getting pre-packed boxes.  

A social worker would have enough to do at St. Anthony, too.  

“The Lord leads us every day,” Rob said. “We try to keep each other healthy.   

“It’s exhausting, it’s overwhelming, but it’s beautiful.”