Nativity Food Pantry

By Ruth Bandas The Message Administrative And Editorial Assistant

/data/news/10696/file/realname/images/p02_food_panty_ribbon_cutting.jpg — Father Henry Kuykendall, former pastor of Nativity Parish, prepares to cut the ribbon formally opening the new food pantry at the parish on May 6 with current Associate Pastor Father Crispine Adongo and current Pastor Father Bernie Etienne.

Evansville’s southeast side has a new food pantry, thanks to the collaboration between Holy Rosary Parish, Nativity Parish and the Evansville Food Pantry Consortium. The food pantry at Nativity officially opened May 6, and will operate from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays. It will focus primarily on serving families in the 47714 and 47715 zip-code areas.

Holy Rosary and Nativity will formally merge July 1, 2016, although the combined parish family already is working together. “We’re very excited to be working together at the pantry,” said Nativity parishioner Connie Montooth, “since this is our first project after the merge (announcement).”

Father Henry Kuykendall, who retired as pastor of Nativity at the end of 2014, joined pastor Father Bernie Etienne and Associate Pastor Father Crispine Adongo for the ribbon-cutting ceremony to open the food pantry.

Sylvia Deters, head of the Evansville Food Pantry Consortium, mentioned that there was an overwhelming show of support from Holy Rosary and Nativity parishioners. New shelving, refrigerators and freezers now inhabit a space previously used for concessions and meeting space at Nativity, and they all filled with food items from Holy Rosary and Nativity parishioners and religious-education classes.

“With both parishes working together, there is strength in numbers”, Father Etienne said, “and we are ready for our new adventure in ministry.”