The West Texas Food Bank served thirteen million pounds of food this fiscal year
The non-profit serves nineteen counties across West Texas.
ODESSA, Texas (KOSA) -It’s been a busy year for the West Texas Food Bank.
The West Texas Food Bank gave out almost thirteen million pounds of food this fiscal year and in 2020 they gave out eleven million pounds.
Craig Stoker the Director of Marketing and Communications for the West Texas Food Bank says they have outgrown their facility and their goal for next year is to expand their storage space, and volunteer center.
“The growth has been incredible, I’m so proud to be a part of it to be able to tell the story. To be the one out there making sure people know what a food bank is, how it works, how to get help from a food bank if you need it,” said Stoker.
The non-profit serves 19 counties across West Texas and Stoker says the price inflation from supply issues has impacted so many people in the area.
“Those are the things that affect the people we serve the most. When you have budgeted down to the very last penny and items are going up by even 3, 4, 5 to even twenty percent in that beef category it really puts a strain on a household budget,” said Stoker.
Stoker implied that this year brought a lot of success, but also its challenges.
“As we go into 2022, we know that some changes are needed. We know because we’ve learned those lessons, we know that we need more storage space, we know that we need a more efficient way to serve our community and we know we can’t do that without the community support,” said Stoker.
Stoker says the last three years with COVID-19 have been hard, but the community has stepped up in so many ways.
“We are so fortunate that we have a community that supports us, that continues to support us and allows us to do the job that we are here to do,” said Stoker.
The West Texas Food Bank says they are always looking for volunteers. For more information, click here.
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