The Celia Flower Pantry
The pantry was an idea that originated from the Social Concerns Committee of St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in Oyster Bay. In the middle 1970’s the church people began assisting local families at Christmas time with gifts of clothing, toys for children, and some food items.
It began with a discussion of how helpless we all felt about the problems of world hunger, and made a decision to try to alleviate local needs by asking church people to buy something extra each time they shopped for their families, for a pantry that would be started.
In the discussion of the pantry, Celia Flower thought it was a really good idea, and expressed how sad it was that in a community with as much wealth as Oyster Bay- East Norwhich, there were people in need of food.
Celia Flower died on April 26, 1981. We remembered this discussion, and how strongly she felt about it, and her great support of this pantry, that if was decided to name it for her.
Money gifts given to the pantry are placed in a bank account to be used exclusively to support to work of the Pantry
Today the Celia Flower Pantry is administered by the Community United Methodist Church, 1300 Jericho-Oyster Bay Rd., East Norwhich, NY 11732; distribution by the Youth and Family Counseling Agency of Oyster Bay- East Norwhich, 193A South Street, Oyster Bay, NY 11771, and supported by houses of worship through the Inter-religious and Human Needs Council and by individual contributions.
The Celia Flower Food Pantry
When bringing food items for the Celia Flower Food Pantry, please bring the following items that are most needed. Peanut Butter, jelly, powdered milk, Dinty Moore Beef Stew, Spam, Corned Beef Hawsh, any canned Chef Boy-R De product with meat in it, Spaghetti Os with meatballs, any meaty soups, and cold cereal.
