Fr. Ryan Harpole, pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Bowling Green, leads a blessing during St. Teresa Thrift Store and Ministries’ Oct. 16 grant presentation. COURTESY OF JENNIFER BAILEY

PRESS RELEASE

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — St. Teresa Thrift Store and Ministries marked World Food Day of Giving on Thursday with grant presentations totaling more than $130,000 to four local organizations fighting hunger in Warren County.

Checks were presented at St. Teresa Thrift Store to the Holy Spirit Conference of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul ($65,000), the St. Joseph Conference of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul ($56,600), MEALS, Inc. ($10,000), and Holy Spirit International Outreach ($3,000). City of Bowling Green and Warren County officials also issued a proclamation recognizing Oct. 16 as World Food Day of Giving.

The ceremony highlighted the thrift store’s year-round role in funding local food efforts, including monthly in-kind food support to area pantries. A volunteer team from Western Kentucky University’s Phi Delta Theta helped stage a store display earlier in the week representing roughly one month of donated pantry items.

“Hunger is close to home for many of our neighbors,” said Jennifer Bailey, director of development and marketing for St. Teresa Ministries. “These grants go straight to partners who know their communities. Today is a reminder that every donated item and every purchase can help put food on a family’s table.”

According to recent estimates, nearly 20,000 Warren County residents, including more than 6,000 children, face food insecurity. The funded organizations provide groceries, prepared meals, and emergency assistance to help close those gaps.

Thursday’s event drew parish members, volunteers, local officials, and representatives from each recipient organization. Organizers encouraged the community to continue supporting the effort through shopping, donating goods, and volunteering at the thrift store.

Originally printed in the November 2025 issue of The Western Kentucky Catholic.