The nonprofit Faith Santa Fe Lutheran Church’s (1000 S. Layton Blvd.) weekly food program began about 12 years ago. Rev. Richard F. Suero, lead pastor of the church since the early 2000s, and head chef Dan Henning helped start the food program, which serves low-income residents of the Layton Boulevard neighborhood. Initially about 20 to 25 families were served; today, Faith Santa Fe serves more than 200 households with up to 15,000 pounds of high-quality food every Saturday morning.
“Volunteers run the whole thing—we could not possibly do anything without volunteer hands,” says Suero. The program is coordinated by Neighborhood Minister Luis Suero, who, alongside volunteers, gathers food from sources such as Feeding America and other local donors each week. On Friday morning, volunteers place food in bags and boxes for distribution, which runs 8:30-10:30 a.m. every Saturday. About 20 to 25 volunteers, committed to a full year of volunteer service with the program, offer their time between Friday and Saturday each week. Food bags weigh about 40-45 pounds and are complemented with chicken, beef, fruits and vegetables whenever possible. The church additionally provides non-food related items as available.
Faith Santa Fe is currently at its household food distribution limit. The church recommends those in need call 2-1-1 to find another food pantry in their area.
“There’s not enough we can do to meet this need. And it’s not possible to expand anymore because of our building location and size,” says Suero. “We are basically over capacity already. A lot of people are on the waiting list. This is an invitation to collaborate more with other food pantries and share the organizational piece and try and go from there.”
Suero adds, “I’m grateful for the community that we are responding for. My concern is the need is greater and we have to be able to support one another, not necessarily by giving or donating food, but just by coming humanly together. Humanity is more than food or churches; we have to do something to come together.”
Faith Santa Fe Lutheran Church always welcomes monetary donations, food donations and other contributions, such as diapers and clothes, for the food program. Volunteers are recruited on a yearly basis and those interested in helping during 2017 should contact the church to learn more. For those interested in donating, volunteer or collaborating with Faith Santa Fe, call 414-645-3574 or email faithsantafe@sbcglobal.net.