Seguin Gazette: Area businesses send help to pandemic front lines

Dalondo Moultrie | The Seguin Gazette

Realizing the difficulties people face on the front lines of the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, locals began donating to help those in need.

Owners and employees at Creative Nutrition in Seguin realized employees at local nursing homes, hospitals and more were having a tough go of it. They couldn’t tear themselves away from their work long enough to go out for meals, so those at Creative Nutrition decided to help, owner Ray Arredondo said.

“We love Seguin and know a lot of people there. We’ve been able to give back to the community,” he said. “We’re just glad we were able to give back to a lot of those places.”

Creative Nutrition opened nearly two years ago serving healthy nutritional drinks, energy drinks and meal-replacement shakes, Arredondo said.

The idea to give back came about a month ago when Arredondo spoke with his girlfriend whose aunts work at a local nursing home. The family members couldn’t take time away for lunch because they had to tend to patients and because those patients are older and considered more susceptible to complications for the disease, he said.

Arredondo and his partners started talking and decided to start out by helping the folks at nursing homes and hospitals.

“They can’t come out because [their patients are] more prone to the disease so we just brought it to them,” he said. “We saw H-E-B slammed with all of this stuff, toilet paper leaving the shelves and they needed it, too. H-E-B is more at risk than a lot of people. We decided to do H-E-B also, building relationships to do that.”

In one day, Creative Nutrition served about 40 meal-replacement shakes and 30 energy teas at the local H-E-B, Arredondo said. They donated about 20 teas at a day shift at Guadalupe Regional Medical Center and about 30 shakes to night-shift employees in one day.

Creative Nutrition will continue to help out and is taking donations to do more. The company matches cash donations and then delivers the drinks to people working through the pandemic, Arredondo said.

The meal-replacement shake shop isn’t the only business or entity getting in on the giving spirit during the time of need in Seguin. Folks from El Ranchito restaurant on March 22 began providing food to the Guadalupe Valley Family Violence Shelter, manager Jon De La Garza said.

Each week, the restaurant has given away trays of chicken, ground beef, tortillas and more, he said.

“We have extra food,” he said. “I don’t want to throw it away. I’d rather help people.”

He, along with the restaurant staff and owners, are doing their part to pay it forward, De La Garza said. And he thinks everyone should be pitching in now in any way they can.

He hopes people would do the same for him if he needed the assistance, but that’s not why he’s giving away the food, De La Garza said.

“A lot of people can’t work right now and I’m sure they have kids that are always hungry,” he said. “That’s what it’s for. There are people sick out there. That’s why I do that stuff.”

He’ll continue giving food even beyond the end of the pandemic, De La Garza said. Groups or organizations that need help, should contact him at the restaurant for assistance, he said.

El Ranchito isn’t the only source of assistance at the shelter.

The Knights of Columbus and others also helped the Guadalupe Valley Family Violence Shelter, Assistant Director Marcy Ruby said. The shelter has received donations of eggs, milk, barbecued chicken, cash and more, she said.

“El Ranchito came two times,” Ruby said. “They brought food. Other people brought groceries, juice bottles, water, milk, stuff like that.”

A shelter board member recently called up and asked what the families staying here needed, Ruby said. And then the board member delivered.

About twice a year, a ministry from a local church brings loads of food and supplies — things like paper products, eating utensils, cups, snacks, fruits and more — during a group effort, Ruby said. Members of the group get together, gather the items and then drop them at the shelter.

They were unable to do it this year because of the social-distancing rules to which the community is trying to adhere to help curb the spread of the virus. So instead, they dropped off a sizable cash donation, Ruby said.

No matter the donation, it all helps people with nowhere to go besides the shelter, she said.

“It’s very helpful, especially now, because it’s hard for us to find stuff,” Ruby said. “When the food comes in already cooked, it gives the ladies a break to where they don’t have to cook. There’s plenty of it. They freeze some of it and have it another day.”

She said donations of all kinds are always welcomed at the shelter. Anyone interested in supporting can check the website, which lists much-needed items.

Anyone wanting to help, call Creative Nutrition’s efforts can call 830-433-9649 or El Ranichto at 830-303-7802. 

“We just love Seguin and love all the essential workers, everybody that’s on the front lines,” Arredondo said. “We’re here to help if they need us.”

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