It is hard to imagine not knowing where your next meal will come from or when it will be. Sadly, some estimates indicated that as much as 22% of the Brazos Valley finds themselves facing that exact situation. With that in mind, there is a resource for families to turn to when times get hard: The Bridge Food Pantry in Bryan.
The mission of The Bridge is “Feeding Families and Changing Lives.” The Bridge Ministries was formed back in 2010 and has grown into a consistent source of food for those families who need it most. During the recent pandemic The Bridge Food Pantry had to shift away from its traditional “come-in-and-shop” set up so families would continue to feel safe coming to get much needed food supplies. To be able to continue offering food, the decision was made to move to a drive-through format that allowed clients to simply stay in their car and have their food loaded in the vehicle for them. It allowed The Bridge to continue operations with additional safety and security protocols in place.
Why is that so important? Every month nearly 400 different families receive boxes and sacks of food at no cost to them. And it’s not just food they receive. Other necessary items like soap, shampoo, diapers, and other toiletry items are also included. Distribution takes place every Thursday from 5:00 to 7:00 in the evening. Clients begin lining up in their cars as early as 3:00, but everyone who is in line at 7:00 is allowed to proceed through the line to get food. Some weeks the car line extends more than 4 blocks from the distribution site and volunteers are still loading cars at 7:45!
Our community is truly blessed to have resources to feed hungry families and we’re so fortunate that The Bridge is committed to being a part of that solution. Every week except Christmas – weather permitting, dozens of volunteers unload trucks, box and bag food, and serve in countless ways during food distribution night. There are lots of opportunities to volunteer time and resources and anyone interested can go to their website at thebridgeministries.org.
This is a bit of a break from my usual neighborhood spotlights and restaurant reviews, but I wanted to highlight some of the amazing ways that our community comes together to help each other out. Stay tuned and check back often for more of this type of post in the future!
Kendra Hudson
Cell: (979) 218-3905
Email: [email protected]
