Compassion Ministries

COMPASSION OUTREACH

If you have a need that you need help with, we are here to help. Whether it be repair work, a ride to a doctor's appointment, or just someone to talk to you are important to us.

FOOD PANTRY WORKER'S SCHEDULE

For the latest food pantry worker's schedule, click here.

In The Know!

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Prayer Needs

God hears our prayers and responds!
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Church Photo Gallery

Church Function Photo Gallery!
We love to fellowship with one another as well as doing outreach into our community. To view some of the things we have done in photo, this is the ideal place!

Food Bank

Every Other Thursday 7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

Please read our Pantry Guidelines

As an official Montgomery County Food Bank we are able to offer assistance to those in our church and in the 77303 zip code area who need assistance with food for their families. Every other Thursday Evenings from 7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. the food bank will be open in our sanctuary. First time visitors need to bring their identification (Driver's license or State ID Card) as well as proof of their address (utility bill). Our desire is to deny no one so if one of these items are not available please come anyway, one of our counselors will discuss your specific situation to see what assistance is available.

On occasion we will have fresh produce available to the community. Watch this site for those dates. While this is not a regular event that we can advertise before hand we will do our best to inform you of these opportunities on this site as soon as we can.

If you or someone you know is in need of food, please direct them to come and receive what the Lord has provided.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nb/conroe/news/5846721.html

Nonprofit groups struggle with effects of high fuel prices

As food costs rise, many Montgomery County food banks and pantries are facing a challenging combination — more mouths to feed and less stocked shelves to do it with.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the United States is facing the worst food inflation in 17 years. In comparison to a 2.5 percent annual rise for the past 15 years, food prices are projected to increase 4.5 to 5.5 percent this year, according to agency reports.

That makes grocery bills higher for the consumer and is driving more to seek help from local food banks and pantries. But the organizations'
directors say they're feeling the pinch too.

"There's not as much food," said Doris Golemon, executive director of the Montgomery County Food Bank. "It's harder for us to get. We're having to purchase food on the open market."

A few months ago, about 60 percent of the food bank's supplies were donated. The rest was bought mostly from the Houston Food Bank for 18 cents per pound. Now, only half of the food is donated because individuals can no longer afford to be so generous, Golemon said.

The food bank currently helps supply food to 34 food pantries and other organizations throughout the county for 10 cents a pound, she said.
Within the past couple of months, three more organizations have applied to become food bank agencies and Golemon thinks spiking food costs are to blame.

Through its agencies, the food bank usually feeds about 13,000 people a month, but that number is now hovering around 15,000 and rising, Golemon said.

"This is the highest since Katrina and Rita," she said.

Rising fuel costs

The U.S. Department of Agriculture attributes increasing food costs to a myriad of problems: a stronger worldwide demand for food, a weakening U.S. dollar and lower production rates due to weather. Among those are ever-increasing gas prices. On Tuesday, the average price of regular gas in the Greater Houston area was $3.92, according to AAA with data provided by the Oil Price Information Service.

But for those driving large trucks to transport tons of food, the cost hits even harder. A tank of diesel gas was at $4.71 Tuesday. According to AAA, it was $2.79 a year ago.

"It's double essentially," said Tom Gossé, lead coordinator of St.
Anthony's Bread food pantry in The Woodlands. "The transportation cost has doubled on the cost of transporting a case of food," he said.

Not only that, but the trickle-down effect of pricier fill-ups will cause low-income food pantry clients further financial struggle and increase demands at the pantry, he said.

"With the rising gas prices they'll have to work two and three jobs,"
he said.

Minimum wage is set to go up from $5.85 an hour to $6.55 an hour July 24, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, but Gossé thinks that increase will be little help if food costs and gas prices continue rising at the current rate

"It's spit in the ocean honestly," he said.

Ann Snyder, executive director of Interfaith of The Woodlands, said the effects of gas prices are hard to miss at the nonprofit organization.

"Because of the rising gas prices, more clients are seeking assistance with food. With the increase in clients and more and more food given to those in need each day, our food pantry shelves are becoming low on essentials," she said.

Another factor in rising costs is the increased use of some foods for bioenergy uses. Golemon and Gossé have both noticed that vegetables, especially corn, are becoming hot commodities on the food market as much of it is sold to produce biofuels.

"We're seeing that impact developing at the purchasing level," Gossé said.

St. Anthony's is also struggling to keep rice, tomato products and cereal grains on the shelves, he said.

More mouths to feed

Along with seeing more visitors to the pantries, directors say they're getting new crowds. Not only are those with low-incomes stopping by more often, but the middleclass and first-time visitors are becoming far more common.

"We have experienced a number of middle income clients who have recently undergone job layoffs and are having difficulty finding employment," Snyder said.

Last year, Interfaith of The Woodlands food pantry served about 1,000 families from January 1 to mid-June, Snyder said.

"This year, the Interfaith Food Pantry has served over 1,500 families during the same time frame. The numbers reflect the huge increase we have seen in food assistance," she said.

Last year, St. Anthony's Bread served about 17,000 people, Gossé said.
He estimated numbers will hit 20,000 to 25,000 by the end of this year.
Gossé compared the rising numbers to an icebergthough some of the ice is visible, the bulk of it is beneath the water.

"Now we're starting to see a little below the water," he said. "It's big."

The food pantry at New Horizon Church of the Nazarene in Conroe is also seeing more in need, said Ronald Rinn, who manages the pantry. The pantry is open between 7 and 8:30 p.m. the first and third Thursdays of every month. It was established about three years ago. Since then, the numbers have fluctuated, but overall, there is a steady increase, Rinn said.

"It's kind of like the stock market; one day it's up, one day it's down. You never can predict what's going on," he said.

brooke.hatchett@chron.com

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