St. John's in Essington

“I started the food pantry when I had my son in 2018 because I realized while I was on unpaid maternity leave how easy it would be to end up in need of basic necessities,” said Maryann Waters, pictured below (center). Waters serves as one of the food pantry volunteers and senior warden for the Church of St. John the Evangelist in Essington. “We originally opened once a month in conjunction with our community dinner. However, when Covid-19 hit we had to stop the dinners and found the community was still reaching out for the food pantry. We started delivery and pick up for guests, and then moved into being open every week in 2021.” Food pantry guests have also become part of the all volunteer group. The team of 15 volunteers has grown through social media and to include guests as well.