Saturday, October 5, 2024
As the air turns crisp and the season of giving approaches, Mission Granbury is providing a way for Hood County residents to turn kindness into nourishment — just in time for the holidays.
Through its community-wide annual food drive called Pantries of Plenty — POP for short — Mission Granbury aims to fill pantry shelves to ensure that every family can celebrate with a full table this year.
Starting next week, Mission Granbury volunteers will deliver specially labeled bins to specific businesses and organizations, providing a convenient way for both employees and customers to contribute nonperishable food and hygiene items to the drive.
“We deliver totes to all the schools and businesses that want to participate, like doctor's offices,” said Andi Luna, Mission Granbury’s emergency assistance network coordinator. “We also send out flyers with our Amazon QR code, so they can order straight from that because a lot of people walk into (a business) and they don't have cans on them."
For the next month, residents can visit participating businesses by donating everything from ramen noodles and peanut butter to shampoo and body wash. A full list of the participating businesses will be announced at a later date.
Last year, more than 69,000 pounds of food and hygiene items were collected for the pantry.
While that figure may seem impressive, Luna noted that last year’s donations only sustained the community for six months, as the ongoing need for support remains significant due to rising costs and food insecurity.
"It helps to supplement, and then when we get monetary donations, that helps us buy also,” she explained. “There's many ways people can donate, but because the need is growing and the cost of groceries is up 28% since 2020, people are scrambling trying to feed their families.”
Luna explained that many families are now living together to share expenses. With daycare costs reaching as high as $900 a week for infants, she noted that many people are also juggling multiple jobs.
“It’s a struggle,” she said. “We have right now, an average of 40 homebound seniors that we're feeding, and it costs us a little over $400 a week to feed them because we give them a week's worth of groceries. We also make sure they have pet food.”
While Mission Granbury is dedicated to offering vital support for both residents and their pets, Jean Bondy, director of development and community partnerships, emphasized that their main priority is feeding people — which makes their partnerships with veterinary clinics and feed stores even more special.
Luna explained that their goal for POP this year is to collaborate with Tarrant Area Food Bank to provide nutritious — and tailored — food options.
"If they have allergies or we have diabetics that come through, we want to make sure that they have what they need,” she said. “We hope we get them enough groceries and not just lima beans or sodas. We're trying to make nutritious boxes so that we're actually feeding them and not just putting a band-aid on (the problem).”
During Mission Granbury’s last fiscal year — Sept. 1 through Aug. 31 — the food pantry served 4,689 individuals, of which 37% were children. Additionally, Mission Granbury programs provided services to 20,223 individuals, 45% of which were children.
As the cost of living continues to rise, more and more individuals are finding it challenging to make ends meet. Luna noted that even the most basic necessities are becoming increasingly difficult to afford.
“Last year, at a conference, they said you needed to make $21 an hour in order to just meet your basic needs,” she said. “And it’s $31 for this year. Should something else happen medically, or a tire goes out, anything like that, (it can become overwhelming).”
Luna highlighted that the crisis is widespread, as it’s affecting everyone from all walks of life. She explained that even Mission Granbury is experiencing the effects, as it’s been harder for the nonprofit to purchase certain hygiene items, like deodorant.
“This can affect everyone. Nobody is safe from this economic downturn we have,” she said. “We're seeing the brunt of it from even our most compassionate donors that like to really donate. They've had to cut back because it's affecting everyone.”
Bondy explained that it’s important for residents to understand the magnitude of food insecurity in Hood County alone. She noted that the effort to combat this need wouldn’t be possible without many of the local nonprofits working together, like Rancho Brazos Community Centers and People Helping People.
"If Sharla Caro (at Rancho Brazos Community Centers) needs something and we have it, we'll give it to her,” she said. “Sometimes, People Helping People, they have extra stuff, and they say, ‘Hey, we can't use this, can you?’ So, there's a lot of communication going on in our partnerships.”
With demand higher than ever this year, Bondy encouraged the businesses participating in the Pantries of Plenty food drive to set up a contest to see who can collect the most items.
“A lot of the businesses really get into it,” Bondy explained. “Like Fit Body Boot Camp - they went crazy last year and had a dunking booth, so there's some friendly competition, but the whole purpose is to collect food to restock the pantry shelves.”
Bins will get picked up the week of Nov. 11 — leaving the community with about a month to collect as many food and hygiene items as possible for Mission Granbury.
“We hope that this grows bigger in the community and that we make more relationships to possibly get more volunteers,” Luna added.
Bondy explained that Pantries of Plenty is an opportunity to give back and help your neighbors — adding that no donation is too big or too small.
“We want to continue to grow Pantries of Plenty,” Bondy added. “Because the need continues to grow.”
To donate to the food drive, visit one of the participating businesses or purchase from Mission Granbury’s Amazon wish list here: amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2Y4Q9T5MDZFBQ/ref=hz_ls_biz_ex. A QR code for the wish list can also be found on Mission Granbury’s website at missiongranbury.org.
Mission Granbury is located at 3611 Plaza E. Court and can be reached by calling 817-579-6866. The weekly drive-through food pantry takes place from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday, and 2-5 p.m. on Wednesday.
For more information about Pantries of Plenty, email Luna at aluna@missiongranbury.org or Bondy at jbondy@missiongranbury.org.
