The Loop Ministries Food Program serves people ranging from childhood through late life. We serve the physically and mentally disabled, U.S. Veterans, and multiple orientations and ethnicities, predominantly African American, Caucasian, and Hispanic. Regarding employment, those who come are unemployed, partially employed, and “under” employed, indicating that a full time job wage does not enable them to provide adequately for their needs.

Last year three quarters of the people we served used the pantry, not as a regular extension of their kitchen cupboards, but only for several months until some emergency was dealt with and they were back on their feet. We, therefore, truly live up to our designation as an “emergency” food pantry. We do not perpetuate people’s comfortability with poverty by encouraging them to live on hand outs. On the contrary, we are a safety net to keep them from entering the welfare system, by giving them a compassionate leg-up when needed.

(Loop Ministries is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization providing groceries and meals to the under-served in some of the most economically challenging areas of Rochester, including zip codes: 14604, 14605, 14607, 14608, 14609, 14614, 14620. The monthly meals are open to anyone residing in Monroe County. Loop Ministries is grateful to the Lutheran Church of the Reformation, located in the heart of the city, for the use of their space to run operations.)