Tulsa Mayor joins ribbon cutting for new food pantry concept at Catholic Charities

TULSA, Okla. (KTUL) — Catholic Charities of Eastern Oklahoma celebrated the launch of a new way to provide food to the hungry in Tulsa on Monday.

The Market at Catholic Charities, the new food pantry, will allow those in need to "shop" for the healthy foods they need, but they pay nothing.

The $5 million renovation at the organization's Tulsa campus created a grocery store environment with an upgraded warehouse that now has three times its original space, a new loading dock, and a semi-sized freezer and cooler space.

"The Market at Catholic Charities is ultimately about the dignity of the person in need," says Dcn. Kevin Sartorius, CEO of Catholic Charities of Eastern Oklahoma, in a press release. "Thanks to our partnerships in the community, we have an abundance of fresh produce, dairy, eggs, meat...way more than non-perishable foods to give away. By allowing people to choose what they like, it helps them feel good about what they put on the table for their families, and it helps us reduce food waste from giving people food items they won't eat." 

There's even a new commercial kitchen for a culinary training program.

Mayor GT Bynum, Chamber President and CEO Mike Neal, Catholic Charities CEO Dcn. Kevin Sartorius, and Bishop David Konderla of the Diocese of Tulsa and Eastern Oklahoma all attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony at 11 this morning.

The new food pantry is located at 2450 North Harvard Avenue.

Tulsa Mayor joins ribbon cutting for new food pantry concept at Catholic Charities | news Channel 8