WORCESTER — Crates of fresh strawberries, organic arugula, chicken cutlets, eggs. The food keeps pouring in, courtesy of Stop & Shop supermarkets. And hundreds of people in the city who can’t afford to buy food in the store can take it home for free.

“We’ve got tons,” said Billy Riley, director of St. John’s Food for the Poor program at St. Francis Xavier Center on Temple Street. “I’ve been running the van full throttle since Thursday.”

The abundance is an unexpected blessing resulting from the United Food & Commercial Workers union strike against Stop & Shop supermarkets, which began a week ago over stalled contract negotiations.

Food for the Poor, a soup kitchen and food pantry, already had a partnership with Stop & Shop. When the strike kept many shoppers away, Stop & Shop managers offered its perishable inventory to the pantry.

Mr. Riley said he hesitated for a moment when he approached the picket line at a store. He asked the union members whether it would be all right to collect the food.

“They said, ‘Billy, we’ll help you load the van,’ ” Mr. Riley said.

He said Thursday that the vans were going out to make four trips that day. Food for the Poor has partnerships with eight Stop & Shop supermarkets, in Worcester, Hudson, Milford, Shrewsbury and Grafton.

With a surfeit of fresh, nutritious food, Mr. Riley has shared the bounty with Friendly House, St. Peter Parish and Catholic Charities.

“That’s what we do around here. We share with people,” Mr. Riley said. “All these people struggle every day for food.”

He said, “It’s not going in the dumpster.”

Food for the Poor typically feeds around 500 people a day. On Wednesday, there were 700.

“Word gets around,” said Mr. Riley. “Today we’ve got the Boar’s Head meat. That’s the best on the market.”

Connie Arriaga was visiting the pantry and getting a hot breakfast with her grandchildren Jaythan Cruz, 7, and Leah Cruz, 10. Ms. Arriaga said she comes once a week.

“It’s very helpful, and Billy is always so kind to us,” she said. “I’m not working right now, so it helps a lot.”

Ms. Arriaga said food in the supermarket is so expensive, making it hard to feed an extended family of 13.

“I love when Bill gives us ice cream,” said Leah, who added that her favorite flavor is mint chocolate chip.

Her brother Jaythan piped in, “I second that,” although he prefers cookies and cream flavor. He’s also a fan of the scrambled eggs prepared for breakfast.

Mr. Riley surprised the children with Russell Stover chocolate Easter bunnies, from Stop & Shop.

Gina Gagliastre, 58, who is homeless, chatted after breakfast about the need for more social services in Worcester.

“There’s no place in the city like this,” said the former dental hygienist, who has been disabled since she was 30.

She praised Food for the Poor’s healthy food selection and the clean, safe environment.

“I can tell you, human services in Worcester are lacking,” she said.

Ms. Gagliastre said she has health problems from toxic mold and has a particularly hard time finding housing she can stay in. She carries her belongings in a cart, which she said prompts a prejudiced reaction from some.

People don’t understand that homelessness and hunger are everywhere, she said. “It can happen to anyone in a heartbeat.”

“Hunger is so widespread,” Mr. Riley said. “People don’t realize there are three categories: elderly, families and the homeless.”

All of the above are welcome at Food for the Poor.

Worcester businessman Francis R. Carroll was the chief fundraiser and chaired the committee that developed Food for the Poor’s St. Francis Xavier Center. He stops in a few times a week.

“It’s a poor man’s restaurant,” Mr. Carroll said about the vibrant, cheerful place.

Mr. Carroll said the center was built and staffed with a lot of love, from volunteers as well as clients. Some served by Food for the Poor come back to volunteer after they get jobs and no longer need the services themselves.

The only downside, Mr. Carroll said, was that “some people have their eyes closed” to the needs of people with low incomes. But he believes people are basically good, and he would like to invite the community in to see what Food for the Poor is all about.

“You’ve got to look at them. They’re people,” he said. “It’s inspiring.”