The Food Pantry began in 2002 as Twelfth Street Missionary Baptist Church members saw a lack of fresh, nutritious food, and food outlets in the church’s surrounding neighborhood. They also noticed a general decline in the income level. Twelfth Street Missionary Baptist Church responded by opening up the “Twelfth Street Food Storehouse” to distribute fresh food to members of the community.
 
Today, that food program has evolved into the Twelfth Street Food Pantry, a 501(c)(3), USDA pantry and outreach organization of the Twelfth Street Missionary Baptist Church, whose mission remains the same: To help those in the neighboring community fight hunger. The Twelfth Street Food Pantry acquires food from Aldi Market and two local food bank sources:
 
      1. Purchased and donated bulk food from Gleaners 
      2. Donated bulk food from Forgotten Harvest and Aldi
      
A staff of 20–25 volunteers unload truck deliveries of bulk food, repackage the food into bags, and distribute the bags on alternating Fridays.  A clerical staff of 4 volunteers records the bulk food deliveries and quantities, the number of bags distributed, and maintains the client database.
 
In emergency cases, the pantry packs food and clothing for delivery to those needing immediate assistance.
 
The pantry also provides our clients with clothing and household items from the church's Clothing Closet,  fresh produce from its community gardens, and information on assistance and self improvement resources.  

There is no charge to clients for the food that is distributed or any services provided by the pantry, nor is there a paid staff; all are volunteers.
 
All donations go 100% toward the pantry operations.  It is only through the generosity of our donors and our volunteers that we are able to do what we do.  We thank God for the good and caring hearts that keep us going.