The History of Circle of Concern Food Pantry
In the mid-1960s, west St. Louis County was largely rural, and poverty was a growing problem. So, a group of local churches decided to pool resources, work together and better serve families in need. At joint meetings, chairs were arranged in a circle, signifying that all members held equal weight in the discussions. From those beginnings, “Circle of Concern” was officially formed in 1967.
A completely volunteer-run organization at the start, we operated out of area churches. In 1989, we moved into our first home in Valley Park. In 2009, Circle of Concern completed construction of a new facility in Valley Park, built specifically for the food pantry operations. Today this building serves as the hub of our daily operations and support efforts.
Our seven-member staff serves our pantry, wraparound programs, volunteer management, community resource development and general operations; while volunteers remain critical to our work. More than 200 active volunteers provide direct client service, stock the pantry and warehouse, answer phones, support our technology and administration, and contribute to all activities of our organization.
