Food Bank joins COVID-19 fight to feed children in South Jefferson County

Published 12:16 am Friday, March 27, 2020

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

BEAUMONT — The Southeast Texas Food Bank is joining the COVID-19 fight by partnering with H-E-B and Sempra Energy to feed children in South Jefferson County.

Sempra Energy Foundation donated $50,000 to the food bank as part of a statewide Nonprofit Hardship Fund to serve critical needs related to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

H-E-B contributed an additional $40,000 for the purchase and distribution of food.

Subscribe to our free email newsletter

Get the latest news sent to your inbox

Dan Maher, CEO of the Southeast Texas Food Bank, said H-E-B and Sempra are essential partners in helping fight hunger and food shortage.

“It’s impressive to us how many corporations and partners have committed, and how many are going to commit, to the benefits of our community,” he said. “H-E-B has always been a great corporate partner. They have been involved since our inception, so it’s not surprising that they would be sensitive to the need of food banks right now.

“Sempra has been involved with us over the last few years and the enormity of their response shows how much they want to invest in this community, especially in the heart of their service territory in Port Arthur.”

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints donated a truckload of donated food commodities Wednesday to the Southeast Texas Food Bank. (Courtesy photo)

The funds provided by H-E-B will be used to purchase healthy food such as milk, meat, cereals, pasta, canned goods, etc.

Obtained items will be served to senior citizens living in nursing and retirement homes, children of the Port Arthur and Beaumont school districts and the community at large.

Sempra Energy requested their funds be used to supplement Sabine Pass ISD and PAISD’s food distribution efforts.

Although methods of community and retirement home food distribution are still under advisement, the backpack initiative providing students with healthy take home meals will start as early as Friday.

“In the districts we are focusing on, there is a higher percentage of students who are hungry in general,” Maher said. “Without them being transported to school for those meals, there is a possibility that even weekday meals may be missed. It’s critical that we fill those needs as quickly as possible.”

Maher said acquiring food during a nationwide shortage may be a difficult, slow-going process, but now, more than ever, volunteers are vital.

“(Our volunteers) are essential in general,” he said. “Most of the food passes through the hands of volunteers, not paid officials. We still have to run our ordinary operations, but the extraordinary activities, like this one, demands even higher participation right now.”

Tressa Richard, 60, started as a volunteer earlier this week.

“I was volunteering at the Basilica St. Anthony’s, but we had to close that down due to the virus,” she said. “I saw on the news they needed help here at the food bank and I thought, ‘Why not give it a shot?’”

Richard has been sorting food, putting together senior boxes and stuffing backpacks for children.

“I was amazed at all the different things they do here,” she said. “They do senior boxes, school supplies and right now we are working on the breakfast packages for the kids.”

Despite being a new volunteer, Richard said she can feel the changes being made and wants to encourage others to come out and volunteer.

“We sure could use a lot more volunteers,” she said. “We’re short. We’re very safe here, we wash our hands, we have gloves and you can make some pretty good friends while making a difference.”

Additional volunteer opportunities are being added daily to sort, box and package food.

If anyone is interested in becoming a volunteer, visit setxfoodbank.org.

Maher said the food bank is all about fighting hunger and making a change in the community it serves.

“If someone is in a higher risk category and they don’t maintain good nutrition, it will be harder for their body to fight (the virus),” he said. “We want to give as many people as we can the fundamentals to fight this disease and while these resources may be slow to trickle out, they are coming.

“We accept the challenge and are prepared to face it for the long haul.”