Catholic Charities South Pantry in Brockton Returns to Choice Model

With the Catholic Charities South food pantry in Brockton transitioning to a choice model at the end of May, three of the agency’s four food pantries now use the model that allows clients to pick foods that best meet their needs and preferences. 

This is a return to the choice model for Brockton, which was used prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. It joins Lowell, which adopted the choice model about a year ago, and Lynn, which opened with the choice model in 2022. 

The choice model allows clients to browse pantry shelves and select the foods they want, similar to any other grocery or convenience store. This provides clients with personalized and independent pantry experiences, while also allowing for factors such as dietary restrictions, allergies, religious restrictions, and cultural preferences. 

“(The choice model) is the agreed-on best practice in the industry,” said Jonathan Tetrault, Vice President of Economic Empowerment. “It gives people the autonomy to make choices that are best for their household, and that is really the core of why we do it.”

The amount of food they can select is based on the number of people in their household. This model is compared to the pick-up model, used at the Catholic Charities Yawkey food pantry, where clients receive pre-packaged bags of donated food. 

“(The clients) like it,” Shawna Bradley, director of the Brockton food pantry, said of the model, adding that clients are still adjusting to the fact that they can only select a certain number of the available foods. “They do think they can take more of everything.”

The shelves in Brockton were recently stocked with pastas, canned vegetables, juice, and tuna fish. As part of the choice model process, when clients come to Brockton, they first enter a waiting room before checking in and entering the pantry. 

“Even these pieces are just about dignity and the quality of the client experience before they get to the food,” Tetrault said. “The waiting room offers an indoor space if there is particularly bad weather or if it is hot outside, and there are chairs for those who need to sit.” 

Bradley said volunteers are critical to ensure smooth operations at the pantry, not only assisting clients with the shopping process, but also restocking shelves and helping bag food. 

“With more volunteers, we can serve more clients,” said Bradley, on a day when the pantry was able to serve about 50 clients.

Catholic Charities continues to see an increased demand at all of its pantries. From March through May, Catholic Charities conducted more than 42,000 total food disbursements across its four pantries, serving nearly 18,000 individuals. During this time period, Catholic Charities registered just over 2,000 new households, including 335 in Brockton. 

Click here if you are interested in volunteering at any of Catholic Charities Boston’s food pantries.