Emergency Food Pantry
Emergency Food Pantry
SEMC Emergency Food Pantry provides access to healthy, diversified food to families in need. For many families, this means providing access not only to healthy and nutritious food, but also health and nutrition education, fitness classes, and referrals to local service organizations to support the additional social work and well-being needs of the family. The Emergency Food Pantry serves more than 75 families each year, helping families support their nutritional needs and supplement their dietary health. SEMC has adopted a nationally recognized Client Choice model for food pantries.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjZyC-tJHJY
What is Client Choice?
The Client Choice Food Pantry empowers clients to make healthy choices by selecting their foods instead of receiving a pre-packed, standard bag of groceries. Our Client Choice model references the USDA-My Plate concept, educating families to select foods that balance their nutritional requirements. This allows clients to choose food they will use, meet their health needs, uphold their dignity, and provide an opportunity for staff to get to know clients’ needs better.
Client visits are limited to once a month, for up to 6 months. SEMC staff will work with clients to:
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gain further understanding of client health and nutrition needs
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identify any other emergency needs and link to other SEMC services
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make referrals to other organizations as needed
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register clients for Enrichment and Nutrition Classes
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register clients for other SEMC classes for employment opportunities
Eligibility is based on income, family size and emergency need.
For Eligibility, clients must provide:
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proof of income
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proof of residency
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photo ID
The Food Pantry is open Monday through Thursday, from 9am-2pm.