MannaFest volunteers continue learning, serving
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Boy Scout Troop 97 and Girl Scout Troop 197 held a food drive in March that they donated to MannaFest Food Pantry. (l-r) Troop 97 Scoutmaster David Brown, Evan Couch, Troop 97 Assistant Scoutmaster Adam Leneau, Silas Leneau, Samson Blackstock, Mary Jane Brown, Ally Agate, Troop 197 Scoutmaster Shawnna Agate, MannaFest Director Marilyn Wise and Trinity District Director Misty Brown. Courtesy photo
From Enterprise Staff
Representing the local MannaFest Food Pantry in Livingston, Marilyn Wise and Georgann Patterson recently completed eight months of training with the Southeast Texas Food Bank’s Agency Institute.
“Not only did we gain a lot of knowledge in those eight sessions, but we earned a stipend for MannaFest to use to purchase food from the Food Bank, as well as a certificate of completion,” Wise said.
MannaFest received $2,616 in donations during the month of April from local churches and individuals. Also received during April was 5,026 pounds of food from Walmart, 593 pounds from Dollar General, 728 pounds of produce from Southeast Texas Food Bank and 2,290 pounds from individuals and two food drives.
Texan EMS, First National Bank and Pine Ridge Health Care sponsored a food drive outside HEB where 900 pounds of food was collected along with $463. Ricky Taylor delivered it to the pantry in an ambulance, a first for the MannaFest volunteers.
Timber Creek Elementary School students also held a food drive with each homeroom collecting food and then building a “can-struction” with the items they collected and the creations were displayed outside the classrooms.
“GB and I had the honor and pleasure of meeting the student council officers and walking through the school judging the entries, which were then deconstructed and loaded up for delivery to the pantry. About 900 items were collected,” Wise said.
Four hundred and seventy families were served during the month of April and the average number of families served per day was 59. Volunteers spent $8,656.79 on food and $1,539.39 on hygiene products, in addition to $97.51 for supplies and $64.91 for trailer bags.
Over $5,000 of the money spent on food was for items for the summer food boxes. These boxes are for families with school-age children. They are pre-packed boxes given to families in addition to the regular food box to help with food expenses while their children are home from school and not getting free breakfasts and lunches. Each family may receive up to three of the monthly food boxes.
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