A crowd gathered early on Saturday, August 5 at Northwest Assistance Ministries (NAM) to receive distribution of free food and school supplies.
The Joanne Watford Nutrition Center (JWNC) handed out more than 8,500 pounds of food purchased from NAM’s partner agency, the Houston Food Bank, at its Mobile Food Pantry. The food, which included fresh fruit and vegetables, was distributed to 176 low-income families from the greater Houston area on a first-come, first-serve basis. L.I.F.E. Houston was also there that morning, assisting with the food distribution and providing information for additional helpful resources.
While food was being distributed at the JWNC, volunteers were busy handing out supplies from NAM’s Back to School drive in the lobby of the main building. Supplies were received by 1,405 local students in grades K-12. Kindergarten through second grade students also received gift cards to Academy Sports & Outdoors for school uniforms, and Kindergarteners received Payless ShoeSource gift cards for new shoes. Also included in the distribution were backpacks collected by Spring Woods UMC through a partnership with Spanish Ministry Pueblo de Dios, and more than twenty boxes of various school supplies collected by Hewlett-Packard. Adding to the excitement that day, Dr. Abrol with the American Lung Association provided educational information to clients while an associate from the Lung Association offered face painting as the kids waited to receive supplies.
Volunteers from The Junior League of the Woodlands, Volterra Energy, Christ the Redeemer Catholic Church, Houston Texas North Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Spring Legacy League and the Yellow Rose Chapter of the National Charity League brought energy and smiles as they served tirelessly throughout the day.
“NAM is truly grateful for the partnerships with the Houston Food Bank, the Junior League of The Woodlands, Hewlett-Packard and all of the generous donors that supported the Back to School drive this year,” said Carole Little, NAM’s President & CEO. “Partnerships like these are critical to Neighbors Helping Neighbors.”
Along with distributing free food and school supplies, representatives from NAM’s Children Clinic, Family Violence Center and NAM Resale Store were on site to provide information about NAM’s programs and services.
The Joanne Watford Nutrition Center is a choice food pantry that provided groceries for well-balanced fresh, frozen and non-perishable meals to 18,765 people during NAM’s 2015-2016 fiscal year. The Nutrition Center enables qualifying clients to shop for and select food items based on the family’s nutritional needs. As part of the Senior Food Program, 125 low income seniors received supplemental groceries monthly. More than 1,000 families were provided holiday meals last year.
Northwest Assistance Ministries is a non-profit, community-based social service agency that strives to meet human needs through Neighbors Helping Neighbors. NAM provides assistance in areas such as food, shelter, health, education and domestic violence awareness and intervention. In the last fiscal year, NAM touched the lives of more than 114,000 people through its many programs and services.
