Mobile food pantry feeds the hungry amidst government shutdown

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Laura Keener

Editor

With the government shutdown entering its second month and the news that families depending on the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program could see their assistance lapse or reduced, the Messenger reached out to local Catholic ministries that help feed hungry men, women, and children.

Catholic Charities, Diocese of Covington operates a mobile food pantry that makes stops once a month at six rural counties in the Diocese of Covington. The Society of St. Vincent de Paul Northern Kentucky not only operates three regional food pantries. Additionally, 26 parish conferences maintain a pantry at their parish. In the last month, both are seeing an increase in individuals and families seeking food assistance.

“We’ve seen a steady increase in guests visiting our Erlanger pantry in particular. From the first week in October to this week, our visits to our pantry have doubled,” said Karen Zengel, executive director of St. Vincent de Paul NKY.

While Mrs. Zengel cannot say with certainty that the increase is directly related to the shutdown, incidentally in staff conversations with new guests, some of them commented that they haven’t had a paycheck in almost a month. For new guests, who are struggling and reaching out for assistance for the first time, Mrs. Zengel said, “I think the most important message is to let them know that it’s okay, because it’s really hard to ask for help.”

“I think that our Vincentians and our volunteers are really good at saying it’s okay. That’s why we’re here. We’re here to help you,” said Mrs. Zengel. “And then the second thing is to just be a person who is listening and providing that empathetic ear; to hear what they’re going through and do the best we can to try to meet the needs that they’re bringing to us and add some calm in the storm that they might be facing right now.”

There are three ways to support the work of the St. Vincent de Paul food pantries. By donating non-perishable food items at the St. Vincent de Paul pantry or at a parish with a pantry, by donating gift cards to grocery stores, or by donating cash.

“We’re associated with the Freestore Foodbank,” said Mrs. Zengel. “Here at the central Council, we can order food on behalf of those parish pantries from the Freestore, leveraging a significant discounted rate because we’re a nonprofit partner. This helps our parish pantries stock their shelves at much less cost than buying things at a retail store.”

The Catholic Charities’ Mobile Food Pantry is also a nonprofit partner of the Freestore Foodbank, which is a source of fresh produce. Most of the Pantry’s food supply is provided through a Federal TEFAP (The Emergency Food Assistance Program) grant, which is administered through the Northern Kentucky Area Development District. Without a warehouse to store items, the Mobile Food Pantry depends on financial donations to help support its ministry.

“We’re bringing as much food as we can, and we’re going to hand that out,” said John Hehman, coordinator of the Mobile Food Pantry.

The Mobile Food Pantry stops once a month in six rural counties — Bracken County, Gallatin County, Grant County, Mason County, Owen County and Pendleton County. Mr. Hehman said that the pantry served a record crowd in Bracken and Owen Counties last month. In Bracken County, 302 individuals across 99 households were served, its highest number in 2025, while Owen County set a new all-time record serving 201 individuals across 82 households.

Acknowledging that the food truck can carry only a limited amount of food, when the need is so great, “Our goal is for everybody to get something,” said Mr. Hehman. Typically, a family can expect to receive 40 food items; when turnout peaks, the goal is for everyone to at least get 20 items. He never knows from day to day what food items will be available. Sometimes, the food provided is unfamiliar, or its preparation is unfamiliar to families.

Mr. Hehman gave a recent example where they were provided four types of dried beans — black beans, red beans, Great Northern beans and garbanzo beans. To avoid waste, volunteers provide recipes on how to prepare and serve these types of unusual food items.

Five of the six Pantry stops are at Catholic parishes, with the Mason County stop at the Maysville Lions Club. Volunteers from the parish and neighboring parishes and the community greet the Mobile Food Pantry to help distribute food. “We couldn’t do this without them,” Mr. Hehman said of the volunteers.

For people navigating a financial crisis for the first time, Mr. Hehman advises “look for resources. They are out there. Be patient. Most of the people working at pantries are volunteers, and they’re doing a great job. They want to help you,” he said.

For information on the Mobile Food Pantry, including its schedule, click the “Services” tab at https://www.covingtoncharities.org.

The St. Vincent de Paul of Northern Kentucky website walks you through ways to connect for help and also provides a “Directory of Assistance,” which is a list of community resources. Visit  https://www.svdpnky.org/ and click on the “Get Help” tab.