By Larry Briscoe
Correspondent
Lake Area Shared Ministries will log 2013 as the busiest year yet in feeding the hungry since the local food pantry opened in 2002.
The food pantry is a totally volunteer non-profit facility that serves the needy in south Hunt County. The food pantry is supported by churches, organizations, individuals, Hunt Memorial Hospital District’s tobacco fund and Farmers Electric Coop’s Roundup Fund. More than 40 volunteers put in 2,500-plus hours last year.
Lake Area Shared Ministries distributed 364 food boxes its first year in 2002. In 2012, the help program had grown to the point it served 4,630 clients with 1,894 boxes of food, $7,000 in electricity for 48 families from Farmers Electric Coop, $7,000 in prescriptions for 155 families from HMHD along with 27.5 tons of food.
“So far this year 2013, we have given out 1,722 boxes of food equaling 65,000 pounds to 4,264 clients,” a handout from the agency states. “FEC electrical for 2013 to date is $10,000 in paid electrical bills for clients and $4,155 in prescription help. We have purchased over $5,700 in food from North Texas Food Bank in Dallas.”
The facility began as a single room in the First United Methodist Church of Quinlan before it moved to a location adjacent to Faith Baptist Church. That building was an old house that was converted to fit the pantry’s needs, and a 24-by-24 building was added to the back.
“This building served our needs until the need in the area for food grew to the point that the building was too small to hold all the food that was needed. Office areas were needed to serve the increase in clients,” the group states.
A new building was purchased in north Quinlan on State Highway 34 in 2011. “The building was just a large open area so walls had to be put up to serve the needs of the pantry. An all-volunteer crew built three offices, a waiting room and food storage area and opened on Jan. 4, 2012.
Hunt County Kids also moved its office into the building.
The needs are great and the services of the facility are many. Volunteers like Director Jerry Porter stretch donations to serve the most number with what they have. See separate story on Porter.
Walmart also donates bread, vegetables, cakes and sweets to help out the larger families. Brookshire’s has a donation box where items are placed for donation by their customers.
“Our food is acquired through food and monetary donations,” Porter states. “The monetary donations are used to purchase food from the North Texas Food Bank in Dallas, which only charges a handling fee. The food is delivered to Greenville and is picked up by our volunteers in trucks and trailers and unloaded at the pantry by volunteers.”
Porter said needs are growing greater with more clients in debt, unemployed or disabled for long periods of time.
“It’s frustrating when we cannot help all of those who need help,” he said. “We are surprised by all the poverty that is in our area, and we try to help all we can, but the need is too great to be able to help everyone, but we try to do enough for all to get them through the rough times as we are an emergency pantry.”