Hildegarde’s Food pantry

Hildegarde’s Pantry is a ministry of the Cathedral Church of St. Mark and began in the kitchen of the Cathedral in the early 80s and then moved to the old parish hall. For five years the pantry was housed at the Jubilee Center on the corner of 200 E. 100 South until the new, expanded pantry facility was completed in 2006 on the grounds of the Cathedral. With the additional space and commercial freezers and refrigerators donated by the LDS Church Foundation, the pantry was one of the first in the state to move to a complete “choice” approach; visitors to the pantry indicate their choices for all food and personal care items from the shelves. We believe this promotes the dignity of all our guests.

The Pantry enjoys a rich history of Christian service that is reflected in its work and even its name. The Pantry is named after two women, both named Hildegarde, who were examples of such service. The first was St. Hildegarde of Bingen, a Medieval German healer, mystic, musician and theologian whom the original Pantry was named for. Then over 800 years later, the second was Hildegarde “Hilly” Pischel, a beloved parishioner of the Cathedral Church of St. Mark, who left an endowment for the pantry. In honor of Hilly and “e” was added to the name Hildegarde.

VOLUNTEERING

Volunteers are gladly welcome to participate in light work (stocking shelves, unloading boxes, sorting), data entry (very simple, one screen) and heavier work (unloading trucks, moving boxes).

The Pantry serves around 2000 households a month. Sometimes we serve many many more. We partner with local organizations like Utah Food Bank, Welfare Square, and Grocery Rescue to bring thousands of pounds of food to Utah residents in need each year.

We believe in taking the Church to the world in providing a vital outreach ministry. We also invite the world to St. Mark’s Cathedral by promoting a greater awareness of the needs of Utah residents who are without adequate food. Parishioners and community members volunteer thousands of hours and donate food items, personal care items, and fresh produce throughout the year as well as provide financial support to people in need.

HOW WE SPEND OUR FUNDING

The Pantry Director salary and a portion of the salary for the Deacon of St. Mark’s Cathedral are paid from the Hildegarde’s Pantry restricted accounts (monies donated specifically for the pantry). These positions play a critical role in organizing our ministry’s efforts to care for those in need.

In addition, funds are used for special food items, such as holiday foods (chickens and turkey hams), miscellaneous pantry supplies, gas for volunteer delivery five times per week, lunch one time per week for Monday volunteers who are at the pantry an average of 5 hours unloading trucks, breaking down pallets, stocking shelves, and refrigerator and freezer and cleanings.

Hours of operation

The pantry is open for customers on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, from 11:00-1:30 and Thursday from 5:00-6:30. Customers MUST be in line 15 minutes before closing to be service (by 1:15 on T/W/F and by 6:15 on Th).

We reserve the right to close the pantry earlier than the posted time if the lobby is full at the posted closing time. Processing and serving those people may take volunteers and staff an extra 30-45 minutes.

DEliveries

Deliveries are made on Monday and where volunteers clean, unload, sort and stock the pantry. We are not open to the public this day.

Hildegarde’s Volunteers of the Year!

Hildegarde's Food Pantry is excited to bring back the "Volunteer of the Year Awards!"  Maryann Paradise and Roberto Gonzales are the recipients of the 2023 Hildegarde's Food Pantry Volunteer of the Year Awards. Maryann and Roberto go above and beyond to serve as volunteers at Hildegarde's. Their dedication has not gone unnoticed; congratulations to both of these fantastic folks!   

The Cathedral Church of St Marks expresses its gratitude to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for providing a generous grant to Hildegarde’s Food Pantry. This grant allows us to access the Bishop’s Storehouse so that we are able to provide holiday food to those in need at both Thanksgiving and Christmas. Additionally, the grant will be used to acquire select items for distribution that are not available to us from other sources. We value the support of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for its contribution to the success of the pantry.

REquirements for patrons

Guests of the Food Pantry must meet the following requirements.

• Only 1 visit per household per week;

• Identification is required for all household members on every visit (copies are OK)

• Adult identification: must be a current picture ID (does not have to be from Utah)

• Children under 17: identification may be Social Security Card, Medicaid card, passport, school ID or any other document showing relationship to parent(s). Does not have to have a picture.

In an effort to promote good stewardship of the environment, visitors are given an “extra choice” item if they bring in a reusable bag. We believe in caring for people and the Earth.