Ingleside Index
A line of vehicles stretches a quarter mile just before 8:00 a.m. Thursday, March 9 on Church St., a typical image the second and fourth Thursday each month when the Ingleside United Methodist Church opens its food bank for distribution. Many recipients come from Aransas Pass, too, needing extra
help to put food on their table.
Courtesy: Ingleside ISD
Students at Ingleside High School collected hundreds of non-perishable food items that were delivered March 8 to the Ingleside UMC’s food bank in time for last Thursday’s distribution.
Daniel Kapler, 73, of Ingleside was fourth in line last Thursday. Volunteers load boxes of food he and others waiting receive including produce and protein, and bags filled with dry goods like cereal and canned goods. Kapler revealed the supplies usually last him a week. If there’s any surplus, he said he shares it with others he knows that are in need, too. Daniel receives Social Security benefits and admits he finds it hard to make ends meet, yet alone afford rising prices at the grocery store. Making things worse, effective March 1, temporary and extra money more than 3-million Texans received in response to the impact of Covid-19, paid to their SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) ended, placing a heavier burden on this church pantry and others like it to fill a growing demand for those dealing with inflationary pressures and food insecurity.
Ingleside Index
Ingleside Index
Inside the Fellowship Hall at Ingleside’s United Methodist Church, volunteers worked much of March 8 to organize, sort, and prepare each package of food they distribute, most of the contributions sourced through the Coastal Bend Food Bank in Corpus Christi. It’s not free, but non-profits such as this receive significant discounts on bulk purchases or rely on community donors. The longstanding program began six-months before Hurricane Harvey devastated the area in August 2017. Depending on availability of donated items, the pantry gives as much as they can, using their own trailers to drive across the Harbor Bridge to fill up with more several times a month. LaDonna Koenigsberg, 76, of Ingleside stands in a storage room filled almost to capacity that needs to be constantly resupplied. Were it not for their dedicated volunteers
the food bank would be unable to fulfill its mission.
Ingleside Church Closes Hunger Gap for Many
PLEASE LOG IN FOR PREMIUM CONTENT. Our website requires visitors to log in to view the best local news. Not yet a subscriber? Subscribe today!