Women’s History Month 2023 Spotlight: Pat Metcalf of Daily Bread Marketplace

Walking into the Daily Bread Marketplace at Bayview Baptist Church in Encanto is like walking into the corner market. The two aisles showcase carefully made signs with the contents of the shelves. Along the left wall, refrigerated items rest behind glass doors, carefully placed by the volunteers and ministry partners. Clearly, this space has been crafted with care and concern for the shoppers’ experience. This marketplace provides a dignified option for those in need of food assistance. That’s the goal of Patricia “Pat” Metcalf: to meet the needs of the Southeast San Diego community with honor and dignity. This Women’s History Month 2023, we want to highlight her dedication to that goal, which she pursues in partnership with Feeding San Diego.

Pat Metcalf in the Daily Bread Marketplace

Starting with a Vision

In the February of 2018, Pastor Terry Wayne Brooks of Bayview Baptist Church came to Pat with a request.

“The marketplace was a result of our pastor having the vision to create a food pantry that enabled the people of the community to shop with dignity and respect. He wasn’t sure what he wanted. He just said, ‘Can you create something?’ He put no parameters, no guidelines, no constraints, other than that he wanted it to be done in an equitable manner,” Pat explained, recalling the original assignment. “I did some research and realized in order to do that, we needed to come up with guidelines. That was the first piece. The other piece was I’ve never done anything like that.”

With the goal of equity in mind, Pat began her research. When she traveled, she stopped by other food banks to learn more about their operations. As she traveled and researched, she kept the question at the top of her mind: “How do we ensure that we can meet the need and still do it in an equitable fashion with honor and dignity?”

Inside the Daily Bread Marketplace

The answer came in the form of a points system. Each individual who visits the pantry receives a set number of points based on their household size. A household with one to two people receives 35 points, equivalent to about 24 pounds of food. The amount increases for households with three to five and again for those with more than six. From there, Pat and Bea Kemp, the volunteer responsible for interior design, built the Daily Bread Marketplace on that foundation.

Prioritizing Dignified Distribution

Every aspect of Daily Bread Marketplace radiates care and intentionality. From the signs above each aisle to the point system, the community’s needs are clearly on display.

“People have pride. They may need to go to a food pantry, but they might not want to be there. Most clients have a job but usually don’t make enough money. At some point in the month, food is still needed, but there are no more funds,” Pat told us when we asked her opinion on dignified distribution. “At the end of the day, you try to figure out if you were in their circumstances, how you would want to be treated.”

This mindset creates an environment of dignity for every attendee. The ministry partners and volunteers who staff the marketplace follow Pat’s mission every step of the way.

“When you come into our marketplace, the first thing is you’re greeted, we give you your card with your next appointment, and then one of the service assistants accompanies you through the process,” Pat explained. “The service assistant keeps track of your points so that when you get to the front desk to check out, you haven’t exceeded your points. You don’t have to put anything back.”

The Daily Bread Marketplace Team. From left to right: Sherman Metcalf, Rubi Pottinger, La’Mont Waltower, Pat Metcalf, Wallace Finks, Sharon Finks, Tia Metcalf, and Marlene Tutt

The marketplace fills its shelves through Feeding San Diego’s food rescue program. Feeding San Diego connects them to local food donors for scheduled pickups. Volunteers and ministry partners pick up surplus food from stores, including Costco and Sprouts, on an ongoing basis.

“That’s been one of the key things: the individuals we have partnered with. The partnerships with Feeding San Diego and the vendor partners have been a tremendous assistance,” Pat said.

Accessible, Customized Nutrition

Pat’s attitude toward what she puts on the shelves is simple but characteristically caring.

“If I wouldn’t eat it, I’m not going to give it to a client,” she said with a laugh. “There was a lot that we took into consideration when I was trying to create the guidelines. We try to encourage people to eat as healthily as possible. We might get a box of vanilla wafers donated from a store. To get those vanilla wafers, it’s four points. Cookies, candy, things like that, those are four-point items. The fresh produce, the fresh bakery items, things like that, there’s no points associated with those.”

The four-point section at the Daily Bread Marketplace

In addition to adjusting point values, Pat keeps a close eye on what comes through the doors.

“We try to cover as much as we can to meet the needs of the community. There are certain things that as soon as we get them, I know they won’t go on the shelves,” Pat explained. “I set aside items for the unhoused people because there’s no point in giving that person frozen chicken, canned goods that have to be cooked, and that type of thing. It’s trying to be as creative as possible in covering as many of your bases as you can to ensure that whoever walks through the door can find something that they can utilize.”

Daily Bread Marketplace’s fresh produce section

A Labor of Love

For Pat, serving the community around Bayview Baptist Church is a calling. Almost every day since their doors opened in 2018, she has driven the 48 miles from her home in Hidden Meadows to run the marketplace. In fact, the marketplace only closed for one day during the COVID-19 lockdown. As soon as they figured out contactless pick-ups, they opened their doors to keep serving.

“When we first opened, it was a learning curve for me because I had to figure out how to do everything. Now, it’s just a joy. It’s just that, it’s a labor of love,” Pat told us when asked why she serves a community she doesn’t live in. “As long as God allows me to do the drive, I’ll do it. I still need to do what I’m supposed to be doing.”

Get the Help You Need

The Daily Bread Marketplace is open Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and the fourth Saturday of the month from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Before attending, shoppers need to make an appointment. To learn more about the marketplace and other food distributions throughout San Diego County, visit our find food map.