Matthew 25:35 Ministries served more than 300 parish households this month, as the St. Charles Parish Council recognized April as “Need to Feed” month.
Mary Anne Schindler, director of Matthew 25:35 Ministries, said the food pantry served 1,200 households since the start of 2026.
“What we have noticed with the pantry lately is families that have not come for months and even a year are coming back to the pantry again,” Schindler said. “We also have a lot of our larger families, including families of six or more, have signed up for monthly food.”
U.S. food prices have increased about 2.9 percent since last January, according to federal data, with grocery costs rising about 2.1 percent. One in six Louisiana households face food insecurity, according to the USDA.
Federal funding for food assistance programs in Louisiana declined last year. Second Harvest Food Bank lost around $9.4 million in federal funding.
Schindler said that, before the spending cuts, the pantry received most of its food from Second Harvest, which included food from the USDA. Now, the amount of food the pantry receives from Second Harvest is dramatically reduced, she said.
“My orders would max the truck at 10,000 pounds of food,” she said. “But now our trucks are 2,500 to 3,500 pounds total.”
The amount of meat the pantry receives is also declining, Schindler said.
Food banks around the country say they are relying more heavily on donations and local support to help meet ongoing community needs. Schindler echoed that sentiment.
“We are confident that the generous community of St. Charles Parish will step forward and take care of their community,” she said. “We are so blessed to live in a community where everyone steps forward to support you when you most need them.”
During the “Need to Feed” month, several groups set up food drives for the pantry, including Ochsner Hospital, St. Charles Womaen’s Club, St. Charles United Methodist Church, Anytime Fitness in Destrehan, Norco Fresh Market, J.B. Martin Middle School and Your Community Discount Pharmacy in Destrehan.
Reginelli’s Pizza will donate 10 percent of all orders on the first Wednesday of each when customers request a credit to the food pantry.
The pantry also collected $2,500 in donations this month.
Schindler said the pantry welcomes volunteers. In addition to its weekly food distribution, the pantry runs programs that bring food to schools and library branches.
The pantry also hosts educational presentations. On May 21, the pantry will host a hurricane preparedness presentation for all residents.
Schindler said the pantry would love to find people or organizations to give presentations on shopping on a budget, nutrition, how to grow herbs, parenting classes and others.
Matthew 25:35 Ministries is a nonprofit that operates from St. Charles United Methodist Church.
“As a food pantry we do the task of handing out food, but our real ministry is to care for each other like family,” Schindler said.
