Shepherds Heart Pantry
Robert Gager Executive Director
Pantry location: 1401 North 34th St, Waco 76710
Mail to: P.O. Box 23175 Waco, 76702
www.shepherdsheartpantry.org
If you’re reading this article, you live in an area where the poverty
rate is almost
twice the national average. The next statistic may surprise you even
more. One
in four children in Texas (23.3%) under the age of 5 is “food
insecure”—which
is defined as not knowing where his or her next meal will come from. Texas
has the second-highest food insecurity rate in the U.S. for all age
groups…both
statistics that The Shepherds Heart Food Pantry of Waco is working to
change
on a daily basis—one nutritious meal at a time. According to founder
and director
Robert Gager, “We are commanded by God to take care of the needy in our
community and we can’t wait for someone else to deal with the issue,
so we’re
finding creative ways to help those that are food insecure. We’re
helping about
3,000 families per month now, but our goal is to develop a network of
Shepherd’s
Heart pantries throughout Central Texas to provide services to many more
communities and families in the near future. We currently have four
network
pantries and will continue adding to that number. Hunger won’t wait.”
The Shepherds Heart is quickly becoming the largest food pantry in the
Central
Texas area, and is actively seeking participation from area churches
to widen
its distribution area even more. Currently, more than 3,000 families
per month
receive nutritious food free-of-charge through organized distribution
of canned
goods, boxed and dry staple items, meats, and fresh fruits and vegetables-
- distributed every Thursday at The Shepherd’s Heart location at 1401
North
34th Street in Waco. For added convenience, a drive-through is
available for the
handicapped so they won’t have to stand in line. Currently, we deliver
to 295
housebound senior citizens, or for those who are disabled and unable
to get to
The Shepherd’s Heart location.
The pantry has been in operation for two years and in that time has served
43,588 families, including dependents 119,335 people have been served
a total
of 1,637,768 lbs. of food distributed. Presently, we serve over 700
families each
week on Thursday. The drive through service operates from 3:00pm to
5:00pm.
The walk-in clients are served from 5:00pm to 7:00pm. The pantry is
also open
the third Saturday of each month from 10:00am to noon.
In addition, more than 250 families are served each month from The
Shepherds
Heart “mobile pantry” (a collaborative effort between The Shepherd’s
Heart and
Austin’s Capital Area Food Bank) on the third Tuesday of each month,
at the
Industrial Technology Center at TSTC.
The Shepherds Heart is staffed entirely of volunteers who wish to make a
difference in the lives of others. To support their much-needed work,
donations
from the Central Texas community are vital to continue the mission of
feeding
the hungry. Gager said, “We really appreciate those who have partnered
with
us so far, because we believe God is blessing us all with everything
that we do.
We want to continue to bless others as much as we can. It is what God
is doing
through those that donate to our efforts that make it all possible.”
We consider
our donors the life blood of what we are able to do and our volunteers
as the
arteries that carry the blood to those who need it. We continually we
need new
donors and volunteers.
In addition to donations, The Shepherds Heart has developed a creative way
to fund daily operating expenses through the establishment of “Things
from the
Heart”— a re-sale store for gently used clothes and household items at
very
discounted prices. It sits across the street from the nonprofit food
pantry, at the
corner of 34th Street and Bosque Boulevard. The store is open on
Fridays and
Saturdays, while volunteers accept and sort donations weekly Tuesday
through
Friday. Like the Shepherds Heart pantry Things from the Heart is also
staffed
entirely by volunteers. If you would like to volunteer an hour or more
we can
certainly use your help.
For anyone wishing to donate to Things from the Heart, The Shepherds Heart
willingly accepts items, and all donations are tax-deductible. The
Shepherds
Heart is a 501(c)3 organization, and 100% of proceeds from sales at
Things from
the Heart will go directly toward purchasing food and daily operating
expenses.
In today’s economic times, the need for feeding the hungry is greater
than ever.
To help The Shepherds Pantry continue its much-needed mission through
donations, volunteerism, or by becoming a member of its network to
increase
food distribution locations, call (254) 722-9517. Our greatest need is
for more
drivers to deliver to the elderly. If you have an hour to volunteer;
you can make a
difference in the lives of those who need our help. Donations may be
sent to The
Shepherds Heart, P.O. Box 23175, Waco, TX 76702.
|