![]() For the working poor, any kind of difficult circumstance – a temporary shortage of work, an injury, an unusually high energy bill – can cause immense stress and hardship. For many who are without a large savings account to fall back on, or a network of family and friends, the working poor must rely on churches and non-profit agencies to help. Manos de Cristo provides emergency care so that difficult circumstances don’t escalate into dire ones. And for our clients, the knowledge that someone is there to help lessens feelings of isolation and offers hope. The Food Pantry: An Enduring Staple of Support. The Manos de Cristo Food Pantry offers emergency assistance to six different households every day, Monday through Friday at 8am-12pm. Individuals and families are eligible to return to the Food Pantry every six months, if needed. Monthly volunteers prepare grocery orders that yield nutritious and balanced meals. Extra care is taken to meet families’ preferences and special challenges, such as dietary restrictions or limited cooking facilities. Our Food Pantry is supported primarily by Capital Area Food Bank and the ministries that bring us donations each week. We are extremely grateful for this and hope for their continued support as we are growing our program. Recently our Food Pantry has changed its way of doing things, the clients no longer have to wait until the afternoon to collect their groceries; now the intake is done, the orders are prepared, and the clients are out the door within the hour. This “express service,” has the clients very excited! This news has made its way back to other clients, and our numbers are higher than ever. With the increase in clients, there is an increase in food that is needed, along with volunteers who are needed from 9-11 to help fill the orders. We will be posting a weekly list on the website that will update everyone on what items in the pantry are lacking and we hope you will join us in our efforts to serve more of the underserved individuals in the Austin community.
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