Food For Families: Donations needed to support Burleson County pantries

CALDWELL, Texas (KBTX) – Ahead of the KBTX Food for Families Food Drive, pantries in Burleson County say the need for donations and the number of families served continues to rise.

There are three food pantries in Burleson County, all located in Caldwell that are partnered with the Brazos Valley Food Bank. Those are Elizabeth Lutheran Church Food Pantry, In God’s Hand Ministry Pantry and Caldwell Christian Care. According to the Brazos Valley Food Bank, Burleson County has seen a 37% increase in the number of people needing food assistance from 2022 to 2023.

The food bank supplies 7% of its food to Burleson County, which is over 366,000 meals a year. The food said higher prices on everyday essentials and the end of certain benefits are taking a toll.

“What we and our partners have seen in the last year is the end of pandemic era benefits so SNAP benefits or emergency allotments for SNAP, an end to free school lunches for all children in all schools, and extra medical support, so this looks like less resources for all families,” Shannon Avila, Brazos Valley Food Bank Programs Director said. “At the same time, we’ve seen inflation and supply chain issues.”

Transportation cost has been a factor in driving up those prices, specifically in rural areas such as Burleson County, according to Avila.

“Often the transportation is more of an issue. It’s further distance to go so that means increased expenses for that rural area, which adds to the cost of all things,” Avila said.

Coordinator Willie Hobbs at Elizabeth Lutheran Church Food Pantry said she believes those issues are the exact reason they’ve seen more families requiring assistance over the past year. In November, the pantry served 200 families.

“Averaging about 150 families last year, this year we’ve been averaging 170 and we’re seeing a lot of our clients who we haven’t seen in several years who are needing our services again,” Hobbs said.

It is the same story at In Gods Hand’s Ministry Pantry, where the numbers have continued to grow month after month. This past October, they had 223 families register compared to their normal 150.

“With the cost of food lately it’s just skyrocketing I mean people can’t afford to eat, there’s just too much out there, they can get help everywhere and people just need it,” David Palicka, assistant director at In Gods Hand’s Ministry Pantry said.

Both locations are looking for non-perishable food items, such as cereal, mac and cheese, and mashed potatoes.

“Instant meals like Hamburger Helper, that they can just throw a pound of hamburger with and it makes a meal more than one meal for our singles also we have a real need for oil and jelly,” Hobbs said.

The pantries said it is more important now than ever to donate with needs on the rise through December and into the new year.