“It’s very important.”
A very direct answer to the stark reality: hunger.
Eloy Garcia, 62, waited in his truck Wednesday with a studied patience for his turn at the Harlingen Neighborhood Food Pantry.
“It helps a lot. I ain’t working,” said Garcia, an unemployed carpenter.
His was one of many vehicles lined up along the side streets leading to the food pantry at the Church of Christ at 801 E. Harrison Ave.
Volunteers moved briskly to load bags of rice, bread, oatmeal and frozen meat that had poured into the pantry from numerous donors throughout Harlingen and the rest of the Valley, including H-E-B and Walmart.
“Front seat or the back seat?” a volunteer asked.
“Back seat,” replied the driver.
Volunteer Amy De Alba pushed a basket of food toward the car.
“It’s open,” said the driver, at which time she placed four bags of food.
There was the heat of late morning, the rattling of metal baskets, the idling of engines, the smell of early defrost and the taste of something powerful in the air.
As the cars pulled away, engines eased a little faster as relieved patrons pressed harder on their pedals.
Co-directors Jim and Wende Coffman seemed to be moving a little faster after receiving a donation of $2,300 for the food pantry.
“The donation will be used to provide food for the clients that come through from Harlingen and Cameron County,” said Jim Coffman. “We give 40 to 70 pounds of food to each client.”
The donation came from New York Life.
Danielle Goslin, partner at a local branch of the insurance company, said she and other employees volunteered at the pantry before applying for a grant.
“We were able to volunteer at the food pantry, and it was a certain amount per hour that me and my team would volunteer every week,” Goslin said. “So we’d bank those hours and we submitted for the grant and New York Life awarded to the food pantry.”
She is so excited for the food pantry’s purpose that she is applying for a much larger grant. The food bank would be well-served considering its mission and vitality.
Thursday all was quiet at the food pantry, but inside lay the dormancy of things to come.
Coffman went through opening and closing freezers and coolers pointing out donations that had arrived – and those that would soon arrive in someone’s kitchen.
“That was full yesterday,” he said, opening an empty cooler.
And then freezers full of ground beef, chicken legs and steaks that foretold the success of future Wednesdays. All of it came from donated food by businesses, charities, individuals and churches to carry those in need of help through the bleak times of life.
Anyone wishing to donate can call Jim or Wende Coffman at (956) 428-3972.
