South Texas, USA, 2010

With minimal investment, but much hard work, the community pantry now benefits 200 families. 

Elementary students proudly display items collected in a food drive for their community pantry.

MARIA IS PROUD, BECAUSE HER SCHOOL collected hundreds of cans of food, all of which are going to the food pantry that her family benefits from.

While we normally think of poverty in developing countries, there are people in the U.S. who are also in need. Often living in unincorporated areas that do not benefit from regular city services, areas like the colonias in South Texas may lack adequate housing, electricity, trash pickup, transportation, and other services. For them, the American dream is still out of reach.

A church food pantry was already supplementing the needs of over 200 families (1280 people) a month, but was in danger of closing due to the lack of staffing and support. Food pantry recipients were alarmed. So Outreach International facilitators encouraged Los Fresnos residents  to organize and identify the priorities that would most benefit their lives. They soon came up with a volunteer staff for the food pantry who are currently running the program, ordering and distributing food to others.

Maria is proud of her school. And she’s proud of her community. And now poverty is something that doesn’t have to be a “given” for her community. She has learned how to help herself and others.

Although there are still masses of poverty, there is hope as they have seen themselves as a solution to the problem.