NACOGDOCHES, Texas (KTRE) – Nacogdoches HOPE (Helping Other People Eat) volunteers are preparing for Thursday’s food distribution. While they have food on the shelves, they are having a little trouble keeping up with the demand.
“Majority of people that come through here, this is where most of their food comes from,” Terry Bounds, the pantry’s team leader said.
They have made adjustments, like passing out less food and cutting back on their orders from the East Texas Food Bank. But the cutbacks are not by choice. Higher food prices have them buying less of a product or none. They have also seen a gradual reduction in the types of products they can buy from the East Texas Food Bank.
More recently, some of the federal funding that East Texas Food Bank receives was cut.
“We had about 10 pages to order from, now we have half,” Bounds said.
They also see less when it comes to donations from stores they partner with. Local stores give them meat, bread, fresh vegetables and fruit.
“They would be so full I could hardly close the doors, now, as you see, we have one cooler that’s not even half full,” Bounds said.
Bounds said their partner stores are having to cut back for various reasons, but said they are giving what they can. They also receive donations from the community.
“We have people come in once a week, some with a lot of donations and some with just a couple of bags. Anything is appreciated because it makes a difference,” Bounds said.
They help more than 500 families each week. Bounds said they apply for grants and find ways to make their money stretch to continue serving.
“This pantry has been in existence for over 30 years, and I want to see it still continuing when I’m long gone,” Bounds said.
Related:
USDA funding cuts cancel truckloads of food meant for East Texas Food Bank
Copyright 2025 KTRE. All rights reserved.
发表回复