New food pantry, Sweet Oak Collaborative, seeks volunteers

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KBTX) – A new food pantry in the Brazos Valley is looking for volunteers ahead of its first evening pantry distribution on Tuesday, February 21.

The non-profit food pantry was founded by Esther Miranda who’s been involved with community engagement and volunteer work for 25 years. It is located at 1013 Eleanor Street at the Lincoln House of Hope in College Station. Miranda said the non-profit was formed to meet the unmet needs of the community and fill the “cracks” that they’ve identified.

The new pantry is dedicated to providing low-income individuals and families with fresh produce such as fruits and vegetables along with different meats and non-perishable canned goods.

“Any family low income, no income, a family in crisis, those who are unsheltered who are doing the run around with phone numbers calling agencies for help with rent, and utilities, food, transportation, housing you name it, who try to get help, but not all the help they need,” Miranda said. “We want to provide comprehensive, collaborative case management, and provide an umbrella of services to connect them to resources in the community.”

The newly created non-profit has already received support from other food pantries and it has been provided non-perishable foods from the Brazos Valley Food Bank, according to Miranda.

“A&M Church of Christ has been amazingly wonderful and supportive to us. They already run a food pantry at this location on a Friday morning,” Miranda said. “The food bank has been tremendous in helping us get started, place our first order, and we’re so beyond excited to have our first launch day.”

To provide healthy options fresh produce will be grown through the non-profit’s garden initiative, Sweet Oak Collaborative Secretary Kathie Hitt said.

“We’re collaborating with several organizations here in this area such as churches who are doing their own gardens,” Hitt said. “We’re trying to collaborate where somebody will grow squash, we’ll grow bell peppers, that type of thing, where we’re all trying to provide healthy food options.”

Hitt said they decided on an evening distribution so it’s more convenient for those who work, but a delivery option is also planned for anyone who might have a challenge coming to the pantry in person.

“The reason we wanted an evening pantry is because there are a lot of great pantries here in the community, but they’re only available during the day when a lot of people are already working or unable to go so we wanted to have an evening pantry to where we can meet some of the needs of the people that can’t go during the week.”

As a “grassroots” organization the non-profit said it needs “tons” of volunteers to unload food, set up for distribution, and participate in its garden initiative.

“We would like to inform you that spending around $200 feeds 50 families,” Hitt said. “That’s a great way to sponsor a pantry if you have the means and the time to help us with those things.”

For more information about the pantry or to volunteer visit https://sweetoaktx.org/ or it’s Facebook page.

Copyright 2023 KBTX. All rights reserved.