Last month, there were around 750 visits to the GRACE food pantry alone! Each visit equipped a family or individual with food staples to keep them from going hungry.
Food insecurity is a huge issue in the United States with Tarrant County’s food insecure families ranking above the state and national average. Thanks to donations from organizations, churches, individual donors, food drives, etc., GRACE Pantry shoppers are able to pick out their own groceries, being the most knowledgeable about their families’ food preferences and needs.
We publish an updated “Most Needed Foods” list on our website so that donors know what foods are low in stock or sometimes completely out of stock throughout the year. Meat could ALWAYS be on that list as it is a “luxury” and usually available only occasionally for shoppers.
Recently, we sent out our “Red Letter” plea for staples for The Pantry at a particularly low time. A particular donor came forward, asking how he could help. Besides buying and delivering much of what was on the list, he also asked our CEO, Shonda Schaefer, how he could be involved throughout the year in helping to make sure we are well stocked.
Shonda talked to him about our lack of consistent availability of meat, and he responded that he was interested in helping GRACE with this shortage. With great enthusiasm, Keith Hills, GRACE Pantry Manager, researched and compared pricing of hamburger, chicken, lunch meat, hot dogs, etc.
A sample list was shared with the generous donor who wrote a check to cover orders that would be placed at least two times a month. These pictures tell the entire story!
We are tremendously thankful to our anonymous donor for reaching out to provide a staple that most of us take for granted. Our shoppers are thrilled with the supply and their ability to serve this type of protein to their families.
