These last 6 months have been a unique time for us all. So many have joined together to help our neighbors, you among them. Since March, we’ve served more than 150,000 pounds of food to 2,900 families including 11,600 individuals. You have stepped up to:

• Shop for our needs and bring cases of non-perishable items to the pantry
• Sort hundreds of pounds of perishable food each week
• Pick up donated bread, sweets, meat, milk and more from grocers and restaurants
• Unload pallets of food from the Houston Food Bank
• Hold food drives, sort product and stock our shelves
• Pitch in to reinforce our shed, install easier ramps, fill cracks, increase our outside lighting, and clean up minor floods from busted water heaters and overworked A/C units
• Deal with the hot and humid Houston weather while managing traffic, loading product into cars and talking with each client individually
• Enter computer data to track our client visits as well as volunteer hours
• Tell your friends and neighbors about us and our needs
• ….and so much more!

Our Board of Directors is a group of dedicated individuals from our sponsor churches. Each has worked tirelessly for this little neighborhood pantry. Our volunteers come from all over the city, each, I hope, finding a home that welcomes and appreciates their efforts.

We have been blessed to receive grants from the Houston Food Bank, the Leslie L. Alexander Foundation, Whole Foods, First Tennessee Advisers, and individual community members. We have received financial donations from those in our neighborhood and from donors hailing from Indiana, Maine, Connecticut and more. A long-time community and St. Mark’s Methodist Church member Dr. Betty J. Barr kept us in her thoughts and left funds to the Pantry at her passing.

In 2019, we logged more than 6,200 volunteer hours or the equivalent of more than 3 full time employees. In 2020, we’ve already logged more than 6,300 volunteer hours with more than 5,070 of those hours since March 1.

This is a difficult time. You continue to step up and give us strength to do our small part to help our neighbors with joy and grace. Amidst all the challenge, we recognized Alice Bongers, our founder and director for our first decade. A mural honoring Alice and created by Veronica Cabrera-Moreno now highlights our volunteer entrance. We are glad that our small operation has continued to grow and thrive since 2009. The people we serve need us and we are happy to be here to serve. We’re not big, but what we do is mighty and joyful. I thank you for your support in every way you provide it.

Terri Dougherty
Executive Director
832-378-5444