West Central Texas Food Bank Celebrates 40 Years in Business

ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – Samantha Lapierre, Kitchen Coordinator at FaithWorks of Abilene, helps provide meals for those on unemployment. With the help of the Food Bank of West Central Texas, she is able to provide healthy meals to those in need.

“We are very dependent on the food bank from which we survive thanks to donations,” explained Lapierre.

CEO Ronnie Kidd said that for 40 years the food bank has been able to help organizations like Faithworks as well as families in and around the Big Country.

“Over the past few years, we have provided between 4.2 and 4.5 million pounds of food each year on average. This translates to approximately 3.75 million meals being provided,” Kidd added.

They continue to help, especially in times of need like the pandemic, bad weather and inflation.

“We’re talking about the safety net that needs to be provided to the community in times of disaster or illness, and that’s what the food bank contributes significantly to. Towards that safety net, towards the availability of resources when people need access to food,” Kidd said.

He shared that the secret to longevity is in the volunteers.

“We can’t do it on our own. It takes all of us working together to serve our community and we are better together,” Kidd explained.

Without resources like the food bank, Lapierre said she wouldn’t know where to find the food she needs.

“I don’t think we would get there if we didn’t have, we wouldn’t be able to feed our people if we didn’t have their help,” Lapierre said.

The food bank will soon experience big changes. Kidd announced at the 40th anniversary celebration that they would be adding an additional building to serve as a drive-thru pantry. Construction should begin in about a year.