Munday Food Pantry’s goal
By Rileigh Lowe—
MUNDAY—Mother Teresa once said, “If you can’t feed a 100 people, then just feed one.” This is a challenge for the very generous and loving community of Munday.
When you open your refrigerator door, do you routinely scan the contents to choose the ingredients for your next meal, or do you stand in front of bare shelves, wondering what you can put on your family’s table?
Unfortunately, roughly 200 local citizens would go hungry each month without the Munday Food Pantry and the Ministerial Alliance. Of that number, 65 are under the age of 18 and 75 are over age 65. These people could be your neighbors; the cute kiddos playing across the street in the sprinkler or the sweet little lady from your church.
Think of your own family budget, and the ability to run to the store when you’re out of milk or butter. What if your food allowance for the whole week was $50? This is a reality for many in our community. If you could put a face to the statistics, would you reach out to help them?
Thankfully, through generous volunteers and donations, The Munday Food Pantry is able to bridge the gap for some, and completely provide for others. On average, we hand out 5,000 pounds of food per month, including fruits, veggies, meats, canned and baked goods. That comes out to roughly 60,000 pounds of food per year. The Wichita Falls Area Food Bank shares the cost, but we still typically spend $400-$500 per month or $5,000-$6,000 per year.
For just $5 per month, you could provide a substantial box of food to a family. This helps supplement a family or individual’s household food allowance, which enables them to keep their bellies full and their bodies healthy.
The Munday Food Pantry, having outgrown our current facility, is in the process of moving to a new location and should be serving from our new place by October. We are grateful to the Munday EDC for providing us with a building for the last several years.
Our new location, courtesy of the Munday Housing Authority’s “pay-it-forward” program, will be an apartment at no cost to us. However, we will now be responsible for new operating costs such as electricity and liability insurance.
In order to offset some of the impending costs, the Munday Ministerial Alliance, on behalf of The Munday Food Pantry, is hosting its first ever Pumpkin Patch. Please come join the fun on Sept. 26 and 27 across from Munday Elementary School. All proceeds will go to the Munday Food Pantry.
If you want to donate to the Munday Food Pantry, please contact MFP Secretary Wesley Clark at 940-422-4559. Automatic bank drafts can be set up by contacting First Bank Texas in Munday.
