Westerville St. Paul the Apostle Church was recognized in May for more than 50 years of generous support to a ministry started by a parishioner in 1972 as Paul’s Pantry.
The pantry has expanded into an ecumenical endeavor known today as Westerville Area Resource Ministry (WARM) to help those in need throughout the suburban community.
At the 8 and 10 a.m. Masses on Sunday, May 21, WARM executive director Stephanie Robinson spoke briefly to express the organization’s gratitude to the parish for its support that has exceeded more than $1 million in contributions.
WARM director of development and communication Jessica Schmitt and development and communications associate Abby Morris also were on hand to greet parishioners before and after the Masses to offer thank-you cookies that included a sticker with a quote from James 1:17: “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above.”
“This past July, WARM celebrated its 50th anniversary, and the truth of the matter is there wouldn’t have been a 50th anniversary without St. Paul,” Robinson told the congregation before the two Masses. “Throughout the past 50 years, with every one of your donations, your giving, your sacrifices, your offerings, you have given collectively over $1 million.
“That is amazing, not only in the financial contribution amount, which is indeed important, but think about the lives you have touched. Think about how you have helped feed the hungry, how you have helped those in need.
“Everything we do benefits the lives of another, and St. Paul, because of your giving, you have been a tremendous blessing to WARM, and with heartfelt gratitude we thank you so much.”
“That’s a huge figure and an attention getter,” said Sheila Tompos, a St. Paul parishioner and WARM volunteer. “I think people are so willing to give and so open to other people’s needs and issues. I think (the parish) should be very excited and proud.”
WARM traces its origin to longtime St. Paul member Almina Smock, who founded Paul’s Pantry out of her home in 1972. She was joined in the early days by volunteers from the parish who collected food, clothing and emergency financial assistance to help families in need.
Other Westerville churches joined the effort in the 1980s under the umbrella of the Westerville Area Ministerial Association. Paul’s Pantry steadily grew and evolved into WARM in 1996. Five years later, in 2001, the rapidly expanding ministry obtained nonprofit status as a faith-based social service organization.
Several years later, WARM moved from a 7,000-square-foot house on East Broadway Avenue in the Uptown Westerville area that it had outgrown to its current location, a 40,000-square-foot warehouse on Heatherdown Drive just north of I-270 and west of State Street.
“I love WARM for a couple of reasons,” said Matthew Therrian, a St. Paul parishioner and WARM volunteer who moved to Westerville last September from Chardon, Ohio, to live closer to his daughter and her family. “One, it’s a faith-based ministry, and so we start the mornings in prayer.
“You’re talking to people that have similar faith. There are pastoral ministers who you can talk to and then also talk to clients. It’s an integrated resource where you’re pulling in people from all different denominations and areas.
“Then you’re servicing clients that are on the borderline of needing a little bit of help. They’re not like the homeless in downtown Columbus, but they’re on the edge of risk, and helping people on the edge may keep them out of that situation.”
WARM’s staff and hundreds of volunteers provide help to individuals and families at or below the federal poverty guidelines living in the Westerville School District, which extends into Columbus as far south as Morse Road. Its services go beyond providing food to the needy to include short-term economic and job assistance programs and connections to other community resources.
Tompos began volunteering with WARM 20 years ago and has served in various roles.
“It’s all about giving and helping people who need it with no questions asked,” she said. “Our church is very generous financially. The whole idea of St. Paul’s and WARM is, we help those that need it the best we can. We’re very blessed in Westerville.
“WARM treats people with such dignity. When the people come to pick up food, they’re so grateful, and they make you cry because you’ve done so much for them.”
The parish invites financial contributions to WARM through a link on the St. Paul’s website at www.stpacc.org that go directly to the organization and through ongoing food donations brought to church.
The parish’s St. Vincent de Paul Society that serves persons in need also works closely with WARM. One of WARM’s liaisons attends St. Vincent de Paul’s bimonthly meetings.
“Every time there’s a call for financial help, that pretty much goes through St. Vincent de Paul,” Tompos said.
“If you need a job or a better job, we have professionals who help with a resume and going through an interview. We have professionals who donate their time as far as medical services, counseling for many different areas that you normally wouldn’t be able to afford or wouldn’t know where to start to look.”
In addition to parish support, St. Paul School’s parents and students engage with WARM through various projects and collections.
Therrian appreciated helping one of his granddaughters, a student at the school, on a service project for WARM.
“It’s been a great experience as far as connecting the St. Paul community, our families and other Christians,” he said.
In the past year, WARM has collected nearly 750,000 pounds of food and served more than a half-million meals through the efforts of St. Paul, other churches and Westerville community members and businesses.
“A lot of people will say, ‘Well, when you’re retired, what will you do with your time?’” Tompos said. “The first thing I do is my sales pitch for WARM because there’s something for everybody here.
“You feel good about what you do because you’re giving to somebody that needs help. There’s nothing better you can do with your time.”