Church Without Walls in Flour Bluff is stepping up to meet growing community needs, offering food assistance and a range of resources to families struggling with rising costs.
Coastal Bend resident Rick Marcantonio said financial strain is widespread in the area.
"I think there are a number of people struggling. Those that are struggling have facilities around. I know at our church we have a food pantry, and we have people that need help," Marcantonio said.
Church Without Walls is one of those facilities. Pastor Rey Escalante and his wife, Tere, lead the church's community outreach efforts, which include food assistance sourced through the food bank and private donations.
"We're providing food through the food bank, through our own donations that we get. Any time during the month somebody can come by for a meal. Not that we fix it, they fix it, but we got frozen meats all the time," Escalante said.
The church distributes groceries every first Thursday of the month at 9 a.m. and serves meals during Sunday service at 2:30 p.m. In addition to food, the church offers books, bicycles, toiletries, and secure lockers for community members who need storage. For families who need it, Escalante also uses a custom electric bike equipped with a basket to deliver groceries directly to their door.
"That first Thursday of the month when we pass out groceries. That's when I hop on this and put some groceries for families," Escalante said.
The demand for assistance has grown steadily. Escalante said the church once served around 200 families per week before scaling back during the COVID-19 pandemic. The numbers are climbing again.
"We were serving about 200 families a week and then because of COVID, we cut it down to once a month and we're up to 60 families a week right now, but it's climbing every month it gets more and more," Escalante said.
For Escalante, the work is a lifelong commitment rooted in purpose.
"I don't know what else I would do. I've been doing this so long it'll be almost, it'll be 27 years in October that we've been doing this. We did a tent for 17 years and then I had a dream to build this, then we built it," Escalante said.
How to help:
The church welcomes community support. Donations can be made through CashApp at $churchwoutwalls, or by check payable to Church Without Walls. Community members can also drop off items directly at the church.
Church Without Walls distributes food every first Thursday of the month at 9 a.m. and serves a meal during Sunday service at 2:30 p.m.
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