By Gillian Taylor | Staff Writer
Shepherd’s Heart, a nonprofit food pantry aiming to “feed, clothe, empower and advocate” for families, urges Baylor students to consider volunteering to support its efforts.
Located on S 26th Street, Shepherd’s Heart gives back to the Waco community in several ways, one being its mobile food pantry. It has 17 mobile delivery options, delivers food to over 1,100 homebound seniors and supplies food to four local schools monthly.
Robert Gager, founder and director of Shepherd’s Heart, said that with this outreach, it is essential to have volunteers.
“We are always looking for Baylor students to help out,” Gager said. “We always have had great success with them. But this year, something’s different, and we haven’t seen very many.”
Gager said Shepherd’s Heart has already distributed double the amount it did last year, with over 52,000 families fed and 2,300,000 pounds of food delivered. With this increase in numbers, he said more help is critical.
With no plans to slow down, Gager said he is working toward buying a delivery van and having “pop-up distributions.” He said it would be especially beneficial in locations where they aren’t able to do their typical large setup and would be a more convenient way to reach people.
“We don’t know where we’re going,” Gager said. “We just want to keep going.”
Gager said the majority of the pantry’s outreach is catered to middle- or low-income families. Due to inflation and the rising cost of living, he said more families in the Waco community are struggling, which is why Shepherd’s Heart is extending its reach.
“We’re feeding the husband and wife who both have jobs, who have kids and have car and house payments to make,” Gager said. “Those folks are the ones that can’t always afford groceries.”
Shepherd’s Heart brings donated food to Bible Way Church on the third Thursday of every month. Volunteers then load a “grocery cart worth” of supplies and food into people’s cars. David Arnett, pastor of Bible Way Church, said generally, over 100 people come every month.
Shepherd’s Heart also supplies Connally High School with various snacks and food. Demetrius Ellis, assistant principal of Connally High School, said they are working alongside the pantry and school volunteers to help package “snack bags” that they pass out to students in need every Friday; he said their hope is to provide “energy and fuel” to students whose families are struggling.
“We all can use a little help sometimes,” Ellis said. “So if you can reach out one hand and try to help out our students, that’s what it is all about.”
Along with volunteers, Gager said Shepherd’s Heart is looking for donations, whether they be money or food. He said he hopes the community will help support Shepherd’s Heart so it can support those in need.
Those who are interested in helping can visit https://shepherdsheartpantry.org/pantry/ to volunteer or donate.
