Even though Fr. Dan’s Helping Hands food pantry had to relocate its operations last year, it continues its mission to give food to people in the area, and the number it serves keeps growing.
And starting in July, the pantry will be offering an additional day each month during which people can gather their free food supplies. The pantry will now be open on the first Monday of the month from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. This day is added to the other two days a month its doors are already open. The pantry is located in the Hope United Methodist Church at 79 Center Road in Bedford.
Fr. Dan Begin, a former pastor at St. Mary’s and Our Lady of Hope churches in Bedford, passed away from cancer in February 2017, but his legacy lives on at the pantry. According to pantry organizers, it was one of Begin’s last wishes that those who are hungry in the area would be fed. The pantry started soon afterward at St. Mary’s, and the ministry began to grow, but the building where the pantry was located was sold around August of 2018.
This meant that Father Dan’s Helping Hands was looking at the possibility of being homeless. That is where Hope Methodist Church stepped in and welcomed Father Dan’s pantry with open arms. The church had already had a successful mission of serving meals called “Soup’s On,” that was started many years earlier by the Reverend Rob Dieterich, a former pastor at the church.
Hope United Methodist not only offered space to the pantry, it also helped build a structure to store the food that takes up a portion of the church’s basement. The pantry was able to open back up in its new home in September of 2018 without missing a month of service. Organizers of the pantry include Cathy Slusarczyk, Sarah Piller and Judy Weakland.
As part of the partnership, Fr. Dan’s Helping Hands was able to take on one of the “Soup’s On,” Wednesdays, the third one each month from 6:00-6:30 p.m. (The pantry is also open those evenings from 5:00-6:30 p.m.) That meant that between Hope Methodist’s meals and Fr. Dan’s, people can get a free meal at the church just about every Wednesday during the year.
The food provided by the pantry is donated by the Cleveland Food Bank and from other sources. There is fresh meat, eggs, vegetables and fruit available, as well as non-perishable canned and boxed foods. Slusarczyk said the process for families obtaining food at the pantry is a relatively simple one. A person just needs to bring some identification, and then they are placed in the PantryTrak system. The amount of food one can receive is based on family size, and all people are welcome, not just Bedford residents.
The pantry is currently serving close to 100 people a month, and Slusarczyk said she hopes the mission continues to grow. A fundraiser was held at Sirna’s Cafe in May, and another one is scheduled for July 20.
Piller said she is happy that Fr. Dan’s desire to help provide people in need with food can continue with the work at the pantry.
“He was one in a million,” she said. “We just want to continue his legacy by feeding the people.”
Fr. Dan’s Helping Hands food pantry is open to the public on:
the first Monday of each month (11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m.)
the third Wednesday of each month (5:00-6:30 p.m.)
the third Friday of each month (9:30-11:00 a.m.)
Rev. Dieterich’s “Soup’s On” meal is served:
every Wednesday from 6:00-6:30 p.m.
