SAN ANGELO, Texas — After several months of struggling to serve the needs of the community, Concho Valley Regional Food Bank has made the decision to break away from the Feeding America network and apply to become an independent food bank.
For the entirety of the food bank's existence, it has been in alignment with the San Antonio Food Bank through Feeding America. Over the last six months this partnership caused a reduction in assistance for local organizations, and made it more difficult to directly serve the people who need it most.
"We want to be able to step in and be able to serve our community partners when they are needing something like canned soup," said Sarah Eckel, of the Concho Valley Food Bank. "So we're excited about the fact that we get to be able to creatively meet those needs now moving forward."
The move towards independence reflects a broader trend seen across the country, where rural communities face challenges in accessing essential resources tailored to their needs. The Concho Valley Regional Food Bank aims to address these challenges and continue serving its community with dedication and resilience.
"We think that the 180,000 people at the Concho Valley deserve to be served in a way that meets their needs," said Eckel. "And just because they're not living in a big city doesn't mean they shouldn't have access to the same, you know, resources and and support."
Local food pantries, which play a crucial role in meeting the needs of their communities, have been impacted by the recent changes. Organizations like Rust Street Ministries, which serve a diverse population including families in crisis and homeless individuals, rely on access to essential food items such as canned soup.
"We like to put soup in our food boxes and we're just not able to get soup right now at the food bank," David Ingram of Rust Street Ministries said. "So if we want to put soup in we have to buy at retail price, and that makes it really expensive for us."
Ingram said usually they can get canned soup from the food bank for around five cents per can, but when they buy at retail price it costs nearly five times as much. The lack of canned soup prompted Rust Street Ministries to make a Facebook post, asking community members who are able to bring in donations.
Both organizations are accepting donations of any kind. Donations can be brought from 9 a.m. to noon on Tuesdays and Thursdays to Rust Street Ministries, and on Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Concho Valley Regional Food Bank accepts donations from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.