In spite of lousy weather, plenty of area residents showed up Wednesday for the Central Texas Food Bank mobile pantry at Ferguson Park in Temple.
With boxes, baskets and tote bags to carry groceries, people were able to select between pork, lamb or chicken, while everybody received several packages of ground beef.
There were frozen strawberries and blueberries to select from. There was a selection of breakfast cereals. One woman selected raisin bran for herself and frosted mini wheat for her sister.
There were canned goods and fresh vegetables. Onions were handed out along with carrots and potatoes. A mesh bag that included all three and referred to as a stew was available.
When individual boxes were full, the food bank brought along some carts that volunteers used to help people get their groceries to their cars.
Theadora Clifton, a volunteer, helped people decide between pork chops or a pork roast and chicken.
Clifton owns a self defense business in Harker Heights and she shows up at Ferguson Park each month to help out with mobile pantry.
“I come here to help feed my people,” Clifton said. “Tomorrow I’ll be at the Temple VA.”
Most of the people assisting with the food distribution are volunteers. The driver and Tara Sinicropi, program coordinator for the mobile pantry, are the only food bank employees.
Sinicropi handles 20 mobile food pantries a month. There are three mobile pantry coordinators, three mobile pantry trucks and 57 distribution sites each month.
Central Texas Food Bank has a 21-county service area.
For the past eight months the average number of clients at the Ferguson Park site is around 170 people.
“We really happy to be able to partner with the city, which allows us to set up in the park,” she said. “It’s in a public space and we’re highly visible from the street.”
Carol Hill said Wednesday was her third time to visit the food truck.
With four people in the house, the food from the pantry helps supplement with the groceries Hill can get with the Lone Star card.
Wednesday was the first visit for Amy Johnson, who has two daughters, ages 15 and 11. She found out about the mobile pantry from her friend, Joan Smith.
Smith lives with her husband and they are on a fixed income and the food from the mobile pantry helps when there’s no money for food.
Gill Hollie, afterschool and education coordinator for Temple school district, said the mobile pantry began as a result of the ACE program and trying to get parents involved with their children’s school.
The prospect of receiving free food served as the carrot to entice parents to school activities and it worked.
“We’ve been going strong since 2000,” he said.
The first date was in November and it was sleeting, Hollie said.
There are usually vendors at the fourth Wednesday event, he said. Sometimes it’s Temple Community Clinic, Hope Pregnancy Center or Retired Senior Volunteer Program. The police have come out and helped, as had the fire department and others.
“We get volunteers from all over,” Hollie said.
Transform Temple was on hand to let residents know what the department can offer them in assistance.
Rolando Gonzalez, resource coordinator for Transform Temple, said they were sharing information on the Ferguson Park Community Event on 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. Saturday.
There will be activities for the youngsters, food and prizes.
The point of the event is to gather information from residents on what they want for the area.
“What they like and what they feel is lacking,” Gonzalez said.
The ideas gathered will be used by the city in developing a plan for the Ferguson Park neighborhood.
