Food bank seeks community help feeding neighbors
3 Dec 2022
News
Dalondo Moultrie The Seguin Gazette
The holiday season can be stressful for many and for various reasons, including lack of availability of food.
Leadership at the New Braunfels Food Bank knows all too well about those stressors and is around to help. But the food bank also needs an assistance from the community in making the Christmas season bright for others, said Monica Borrego, New Braunfels Food Bank executive director.
“We just wrapped up Thanksgiving, now kind of moving on to Christmas,” she said. “Obviously, there’s a lot of people who need help, especially right now.”
The food bank needs food drives scheduled, monetary donations and volunteers to help continue the mission, Borrego said.
Help is planned, she said.
Caterpillar in Seguin hosted a food distribution event Saturday, Dec. 3 at its plant’s parking lot, Borrego said. The company provided all of the volunteers, which was great for the food bank.
“We are happy to be able to help the New Braunfels Food Bank make a difference in peoples’ lives when they need it most,” said Steve Ferguson, senior vice president of Caterpillar’s Industrial Power Systems Division. “We’re impressed by the work of the New Braunfels Food Bank, and we are pleased to join with them in their mission to bring food relief, especially during the holiday season. We’re proud to be part of the Seguin community, and it’s important for us as a company and for our employees to contribute to the communities where we live and work.”
Need is at higher levels right now, Borrego said. More people are seeking assistance, which also creates more opportunities for giving, she said.
“All of our opportunities are on our website at NBfoodbank.org,” the executive director said. “The best way to sign up is to go to the website because we manage the numbers and volume of volunteers like that.”
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the New Braunfels Food Bank provided clients with the option of “shopping” for their food inside the pantry, and the nonprofit is moving back to the practice, Borrego said.
It could create a different feel for volunteers who helped out in recent months but they should be able to get right into the swing of things, she said.
Also, she wants to remind volunteers that need for food and need for their help remains even after the holidays, when volunteerism generally starts to see a decline, Borrego said. She encourages people who want to give back to continue doing so throughout the year.
“Everything tends to decline when the new year rolls in,” Borrego said. “Just keep us top of mind because we’re still there doing the work even if it’s not the holidays.”
Contact the New Braunfels Food Bank at 830-327-6000 or at the website.
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