By: Jocelyn Williams, Community Organizer

“It feels good to be able to help out and do something in our community for people during this time of uncertainty.” These were the words echoed over and over again from volunteers making deliveries each week for the Family Resource Pantry. This pantry was launched by Grassroots Community Development, Prosper Waco, Transformation Waco, and several churches in response to the challenges families were facing at the beginning of the pandemic. With job losses and the mandatory shutdown to help curtail the spread of COVID-19, many families needed support. In a collaborative effort between school staff, community partners, and lots of church volunteers, we were able to make 1,104 deliveries and over 450 families received weekly deliveries of food, baby supplies, and other household items from March until September. 

In Grassroots’ work supporting the community, we have found that partnerships are key to a strong and thriving community. The outpouring of support from everyone over the past 6 months made it clear that Waco responded strongly in the face of adversity. This is another great example of a community working together and supporting each other.