The Food Bank serves 46,000 people a week. This may seem like just another number, but this is a mother shivering outside in cold temperatures for an hour waiting for food to take back to her family. This is your neighbor who just lost his job and is having a hard time supporting his family. This is an elderly man who begins to have headaches because he can barely eat once a day and relies on the Food Bank’s services when he can’t stretch his budget any further.
These are our clients; and Sen. Brian Birdwell, representing McLennan County, visited our Partner Agencies, Caritas of Waco and Shepherd’s Heart, to meet them. As a member of the Finance Committee that decides the funding for our statewide produce grant, the Surplus Agriculture Grant, the senator was able to see first-hand the food insecurity in his own backyard.
Without the help of our nearly 250 Partner Agencies, the Food Bank wouldn’t be able to help as many clients each week. Food is delivered from the Food Bank to our Partner Agencies where people living closer to those Partner Agencies can access healthy food more easily. At many of our Partner Agencies, clients can also receive assistance for other services like help finding employment, receiving a clothing voucher and support applying for SNAP benefits.
Though Senator Birdwell was able to see the need at Shepherd’s Heart, not everyone that needs assistance is able to go to the Partner Agency. On his visit, the senator met and delivered food to elderly who are homebound.
During his tour of Caritas of Waco, the senator learned about the intake process as clients were informed about services the Partner Agency offers, and then allowed to pick and choose the food they need from the food pantry.
The Food Bank’s mission is to nourish hungry people, and as the need increases, we’re taking measures to make sure our clients receive healthy meals. The Food Bank has placed a produce container at Caritas that can hold around 30,000 pounds of fresh produce. On a weekly basis, we deliver roughly 40,000 pounds of produce that benefit Caritas and other Partner Agencies.
Though the container is in Waco, it will help serve the surrounding area. The container is only one of the changes the Capital Area Food Bank is making to help provide food for families in need in our 21 county service area in Central Texas. To better represent the counties we serve, we will soon be changing our name to Central Texas Food Bank. Our clients can be sure that the Food Bank will continue to help provide meals in their area during their time of need.
