This text was obtained via automated optical character recognition.
It has not been edited and may therefore contain several errors.

---

Early History of the Hancock County Food Pantry
In May 1986, at the suggestion and urging of the Rev. Nick Johnson, two ladies from Christ Church, "Teen" DeRocha, Evelyn Johnson and Inna Piazza from another local church, started the Hancock County Food Pantry. The Episcopal Diocese of Mississippi donated $1,500.00 to open the pantry. Prior to this, local churches would rotate a responsibility of providing money/food to those who came in search of need. The churches were spread very thin trying to provide for the needy in Hancock County.
The original pantry was in the old Valena C. Jones School building, Old Spanish Trail and Bookter Street in Bay St. Louis. The director of Civil Defense, Bobby Boudin, found space in the school, and the pantry moved into the gym. After that, it was moved to the "hang mans room" in the Bay St. Louis Courthouse, Main Street Bay St. Louis. The first refrigerator/freezer was donated late June early July of 1986 by way of a request in "Quotables by Cuevas" which ran in the Sea Coast Echo June 22, 1986.
When the constitution was adopted in May 1986, it stated that the pantry would always be chartered a non-profit organization operating with only volunteers, no paid employees, and would be operated by donations from churches, individuals, businesses and organizations. Originally, the pantry hours were from 9a.m. to noon, manned by volunteers from the county's churches and Retired Senior Volunteer Program. The primary purpose of the Food Pantry was to feed people of Hancock County in an emergency, such as from the interruption of someone's income through loss of job, fire, disruption in the home, illness or other valid reason. It was set up as a temporary source of supplemental aid for several days. Referrals came from the Welfare Department, Board of Health, priests, ministers, and organizations.