Published 2:23 pm, Saturday, April 21, 2018
The Interfaith Food Pantry programs provide food to families in need. The shelves are organized by category and expiration date.
The Interfaith Food Pantry programs provide food to families in need. The shelves are organized by category and expiration date.
Photo: Patricia Dillon/The Woodlands VillagerThe Interfaith Food Pantry in The Woodlands was recently remodeled and upgraded in the refrigeration area to accommodate protein rich perishable foods such as frozen meats and dairy foods. With money raised at the 2016 Celebration of Excellence Gala, Interfaith installed a 392 cubic feet walk-in freezer and two 47-cubic feet commercial refrigerators.
Lucy Gomez, director of programs and services at Interfaith, said because of the building’s age, the planning phase of the renovation was an exhaustive process but construction only took about 30 days.
“The research part was a little bit more daunting in that our building—(it) is almost 45 years old and so we have to be careful with construction,” Gomez said. “We probably had about three different plans (because) we wanted to make the most of our available space.”
Missy Herndon, president and CEO of Interfaith, said the project was originally planned for a late summer completion but the expansion progress was stalled when Hurricane Harvey hit and the pantry serviced more than 26,000 people in need. Herndon added that the pantry volunteers have been thrilled with the additional storage space because it helps them to better meet the needs of the community.
“The neatest part is watching as the volunteers come in just because so many of them have been here for years and years, so to be able to have the capacity — and for us it really comes down to being able to serve the families in the area with the most nutritious food,” Herndon said. “Meats and cheeses and dairy are very expensive, so to be able to give those out to families is huge.”
Gomez added that “the walk-in freezer was essential to expanding that capacity.”
The Interfaith Food Pantry served more than 18,800 individuals and harvested close to 4,000 pounds of fresh produce from the Veggie Village community gardens in 2017. Gomez said the pantry currently serves 500 to 600 families a month through various programs.
Weekend Backpack Program
Interfaith has partnered with three local Conroe Independent School District schools to help children in need.
“Counselors identify children that are at risk of not having enough food for the weekend while they’re home from school, and so we deliver backpacks of food with enough meals for the weekend for the children they have identified,” Gomez said.
Backpacks are delivered on Friday, and the students bring them back to school on Monday so they can be refilled.
Senior Grocery Delivery
The senior grocery delivery program caters to homebound seniors who cannot travel to the Interfaith Food Pantry. Food is delivered once a month to their place of residence. There about 180 seniors in the program, Gomez said.
Veggie Village Community Gardens
The Interfaith Food Pantry receives fresh produce from two community gardens, one at the Alden Bridge Sports Field and the other in Wendtwoods Park.
“We harvest organic, fresh produce (each Thursday) that supplements our non-perishable items,” Gomez said.
The Wendtwoods Park community garden also serves as a learning garden for children. Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, pre-school students and homeschool groups have used the garden to teach youth about healthy living and vegetation that can be grown in the local area.
“Groups will come out there and just learn about gardening and eating healthy, what you can grow in Texas because that’s unique as well. It’s beautiful and it’s been a really good addition to our food pantry programs,” Gomez said.
How the Food Pantry Works
Families in need can pick up groceries from Interfaith once a month. Volunteers pack all of the food into paper bags. A family of four will receive three bags a month with enough food for four or five meals. Pre-packed bags are also made on a smaller scale to provide four or five meals for an individual.
The food is organized and shelved by category and expiration date and looks similar to the aisles of an actual grocery store. Volunteers try to get food that will expire at an earlier date out to families to be used sooner so that it doesn’t go to waste. Items that are past or close to the expiration date are not distributed.
“Because we have a philosophy of we would not serve food that we wouldn’t serve our own family, we don’t don’t give food out that’s past the date on the food product,” Gomez said. “But we don’t get rid of it. We donate it to a local organization that uses it. We try to keep it out of the waste system.”
Herndon said all of the food is donated by the community, church congregations and local retailers. Donations are always accepted because the items are distributed almost as soon as they are received.
Interfaith Food Pantry is open to anyone needing assistance. It is not based upon income but it is zip code restricted to those in South Montgomery County (south of FM 1488, east to Grand Parkway toll road 99 and west to FM 2978). Interfaith does have an extensive referral list for those outside the coverage area.
“All of our families are based upon just need. There is a spoken need when they come in and they share that they are in need,” Herndon said. “Families are able to come in every month. We never say no to individuals that are in need of food.”
Interfaith is open 8 a.m.-5 p.m. on Monday through Friday. Donations can be dropped off at the front of the facility. The only stipulation is that the food must be packaged like it would be at a grocery store. Pre-cooked meals will not be accepted.
For more information on Interfaith’s programs and services, or to become a volunteer, visit woodlandsinterfaith.org or call 281-367-1230.
