OCEAN CITY – A community food pantry has found a new home in Ocean City.
On May 10, Shepherd’s Crook Food Pantry, a ministry of St. Paul’s by-the-Sea Episcopal Church, will open at its new location at 102 Worcester Street in Ocean City.
The Rev. Matthew Justin D’Amario said the food pantry will be moving into the Lands End Fellowship building on Worcester Street, where it will remain throughout the summer months.
“This is a temporary arrangement,” he said.
Shepherd’s Crook was founded in 1999 and operated out of the church rectory until 2013, when the rectory was destroyed in a fire.
“The story is very much a resurrection story,” D’Amario said. “The vestry voted immediately to keep Shepherd’s Crook going.”
Following the fire, D’Amario said the ministry operated out of several temporary locations until finding a home at 205 S. Baltimore Ave. He added that the food pantry’s hours of operation expanded from three days a week to five days a week, allowing Shepard’s Crook to serve thousands of the community’s neediest. Last year, for example, the food pantry served nearly 13,000 meals.
“Those numbers are growing,” he said.
Unlike other ministries in Ocean City that serve hot meals throughout the week, Shepherd’s Crook essentially acts as a free grocery store where J-1 visa students, retirees, the working poor and the homeless can receive nonperishable items and prepackaged foods.
“It’s a genuinely unique ministry in Ocean City,” D’Amario said.
On April 30, the ministry’s lease at 205 S. Baltimore Ave. ended. Those with Shepherd’s Crook said the landlord has plans to utilize the space for a coffee shop that will serve international students.
Jane Ellis, chair of the Shepherd’s Crook Board of Directors, said officials with Lands End Fellowship extended an offer to house the food pantry throughout the summer months until more permanent arrangements are made.
“We are pleased to have a place to go while we work things out,” she said. “We are taking a look at other options, but this will give us a few months … It is a wonderful opportunity for both of us to work together in this ministry.”
Ellis said the board of directors is currently working with the church to find a more permanent location following the summer season at Lands End.
“It’s amazing that we can do this, that we are blessed and have the resources to do this,” Ellis said. “We really love working with other community-based groups throughout the year, and we are really looking forward to working with new partners during this period of time.”
Shepherd’s Crook will open at its new location at 102 Worcester Street beginning May 10. The food pantry will be open Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to noon.
“The good news is it is very close to our previous location,” D’Amario said, “so we will continue to serve the same community.”
For more information on Shepherd’s Crook, contact St. Paul’s by-the-Sea Episcopal Church at 410-289-3453.