food pantries

Providing  food for strong bodies & strong families.

We provide a variety of nutritious food for individuals and families in our area who are food insecure. We are one of the largest partners of the Food Bank of Delaware, and also receive food from community, faith based, school and other food drives. In all, we provide enough food for our clients to be able to prepare over a half million meals each year.

You do not need a referral to visit out pantries. We welcome all!

• Bring ID for you (every visit)
• Bring an ID for family members living with you (including Children, first visit only)
  • Children may use any of the following as an ID: School IDs, Medicaid / Health Insurance Cards, Birth Certificates, Social Security Cards
• Bring Proof of DE Residency (can be driver’s license, photo ID, lease, or any mail with their Delaware address)
• Meet income guidelines for program eligibility (self attestation)
• We encourage you to bring Reusable Bags for your Groceries

NOTE: Smoking is never permitted on our premises. Our pantries are closed on major holidays  and in the event of inclement weather.

You can only visit one LCS Pantry per week. If you need additional assistance, contact the Delaware Helpline by dialing 2-1-1 or calling 1-800-560-3372. Visit their website for more information.

Hope Lutheran Church
230 Christiana Road
New Castle DE  19720 
3rd Thursday of every month
2:00 – 4:00 pm

LCS also operates additional monthly grocery clubs, but they are generally limited to their current enrollment or residents of the facilities where they are housed. If one of these sites is most convenient for you, contact us at info@lcsde.org and we will put you in touch with the coordinator at that location.

LCS makes deliveries to Delaware senior communities on a regular basis.  These deliveries bring food options directly to seniors, allowing them to choose without leaving their care facilities. If you would like to request a delivery to your senior community, contact us at info(at)lcsde(dot)org for more information.

We are here to help.
You will be greeted with a smile and a kind word. Our clients tell us that they shop at our pantries primarily because of the way they are welcomed!

Signing in
If you are new to our pantry, we will register you in our system. If you have registered with us before you just have to show your ID and sign in.  At most pantries you will be served in the order you arrive. At our daily Food Distributions we never run out of food and have plenty of selection, so try not to arrive too early. At our main LCS pantry, we will ask you to select a specific pick up time.

Food selection
At our Daily Food Distribution sites you will be provided with a generous bag of food, based on your household size, that contains enough food for 3 days. You will then be asked to select among the dairy, meats, and produce that we have available that day. We will also provide any “extras” we have that day such as desserts, bread or prepared meals.

Monthly Distribution and Grocery Club locations also provide a box or bag of food, plus whatever extras are available that day.

If you are unable to come to one of our food pantries yourself, we have a proxy process for you to send someone else to pick up your food for you. You will need to register with our pantry first and then complete a Food Pantry Proxy Form below.