Warm and Dry

Carmelite Sisters Open Pantry for Homeless in Downtown Oklahoma City

By Ray Dyer
The Sooner Catholic

OKLAHOMA CITY — Aaron Scott knew if he could get Sister Barbara Joseph Foley, CST, to visit his building she would be hooked. The location was perfect, a few blocks from the tall buildings of  downtown. The size was right, just large enough to store plenty of clothing, some boxed food items and a couple of small tables. Sister Barbara Joseph Foley, CST, carries a pot of hot dogs into her pantry for the homeless.
There was also a nice open area behind the building, with a little work it would be perfect for chairs and tables, or even a few picnic tables.

Scott eventually got Sister Barbara Joseph to visit and he was right. She was hooked.

That’s why on Jan. 27, a crowd of supporters gathered for the blessing of Sister BJ’s Pantry for the Homeless at 819 4th Street. The pantry will provide food and clothing to the people who live on the streets of Oklahoma City. It is owned and operated by the Carmelite Sisters of Saint Therese of the Infant Jesus.

The idea for the pantry came to Sister Barbara while she was helping with Hot Dogs for the Homeless, the ministry created three years ago by Rick and Susan Swyden. She realized while the homeless hunger for food they also hunger for “the love and compassion of our Lord.”

Sister Barbara Joseph shared her idea with friends and it apparently struck a nerve with Scott. The owner of an electrical business, Scott said he first considered using the building as an office. Then he thought it might work as a coffee shop, but that didn’t seem to work either. It then came to him the building would be perfect for the ministry Sister Barbara Joseph had mentioned.

“It took me about four months to get her down here,” Scott told the well-wishers at the opening blessing.  “But the minute she saw it, she knew it was perfect.”

Sister Barbara Joseph said the pantry will serve breakfast in a bag once a week. At other times picnic lunches will be enjoyed. Racks of clothes and non-perishable food items have been gathered and are stacked inside, all neatly displayed and all available to the homeless. A small table will allow people to come inside to have coffee and donuts. Outside, in back of the pantry, a concrete pad has been poured and Boy Scouts built and set up wooden picnic tables on top of it. An iron fence runs along side the picnic area. All of these items and improvements have been donated to the pantry and numerous volunteers helped make the ministry possible.

For more information call 405-820-5345 or to make a tax free contribution to Sister BJ’s Pantry for the Homeless send checks to: Sister BJ’s Pantry, Carmelite Sisters, 1300 Classen Dr., Oklahoma City, Ok. 73103.