St. Andrew’s, Bryan, has joined together with the Brazos Valley Food Bank and the Baylor University Collaborative on Hunger and Poverty in starting a Hunger-Free Coalition in Brazos County.

 Last month, more than 50 people representing local nonprofits, faith communities, government, and higher education came together to name priorities and gaps in providing food in Brazos County. EHF provided translation equipment for members of the Hispanic/Latino community from Santa Teresa Catholic Church, Bryan, to fully participate in the meeting. The Baylor Collaborative will be hosting six training sessions in the fall to help partners build the infrastructure of a sustainable coalition to end hunger in Brazos County. 

This effort grew out of EHF Congregational Engagement’s first Poverty Transformation cohort in Fall 2021-Spring 2022.  The Bryan/College Station group began with the idea of a church food pantry in response to the needs of the community, but EHF encouraged them to look beyond a church food pantry to something that could have a bigger impact. 

Through their diligence in meeting different segments of the community and assistance from the Baylor Collaborative and the Episcopal Diocese of Texas, they created a Mobile Food Pantry supported by the Boys and Girls Club, the Brazos County Food Bank, St. Theresa Catholic Church, and the REACH project.  This collaborative was an instant success, serving 200 families the first time it opened.  That number has tripled, and the area is now supporting a new church plant.  This ministry collaboration served as the catalyst for the creation of the Hunger Free community!  

You can read more about this work in the recent feature from the Episcopal News Service.