The Order of Malta Ministry Van: Picking Up Food at the Contra Costa Food Bank
Timothy K. Powers, KM, Hospitaller of the Oakland Region of the Order of Malta, leads the Order of Malta Ministry Van on its bi-weekly Tuesday trips to the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano, picking up essential food items and delivering them to St. Mary’s Food Pantry in Walnut Creek — helping to keep the shelves stocked and ready for those in need.
He is joined on the runs by fellow Knights Greg Smith, KM, and Matthew Kemner, KM, along with other Knights, Dames, Auxiliary members, and volunteers of the Order of Malta.
The need behind each trip is large. According to the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano, one in eight people — and one in six children — in Contra Costa and Solano counties turn to the Food Bank for emergency and supplemental food. Last year the Food Bank distributed over 39 million pounds of food, enough to serve more than 79,000 households each month, working with more than 245 partner agencies, including soup kitchens, food pantries, and childcare centers. Every $1 donated to the Food Bank provides 2 or more meals.
That food does not reach a pantry shelf on its own. Somebody has to pick it up, load it, and deliver it — and that is what the Ministry Van runs are for. Each Tuesday trip brings fresh produce, protein, dairy, and staples from the Food Bank’s warehouse to St. Mary’s, where they are handed out with dignity and care to neighbors who are living on the margins — in nearby creeks, under freeways, or simply struggling to get by.
Every load means full shelves on Thursday at St. Mary’s — and full shelves mean the pantry is ready for the neighbors who count on it.
The Order of Malta has been serving at St. Mary’s Food Pantry for three years, in partnership with St. Vincent de Paul of Contra Costa County, which has operated the pantry for over 50 years. Together, the Order of Malta and St. Vincent de Paul continue to answer the call to serve our Lord’s poor with dignity and love.
Learn more about the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano at foodbankccs.org.
