Without our volunteers’ commitment, we wouldn’t be able to serve the 46,000 clients who rely on our services each week. A volunteer shift at the Food Bank allows us to provide an additional 276 meals for families in need.
Thanks to our amazing volunteers, people's lives are changed. One of those people is Gilbert, a Waco resident, who was homeless but now has a place to call home.
“It’s almost like you forgot how to be human,” he said as he explained what it’s like to get acclimated to living in a house again.
It has been two and a half years since Gilbert had a door to lock and a roof over his head. He clearly remembers the accident that marked his life. On his first day of vacation from work, he got on his bike as he left a store. As he rode on a street without stop signs or crosswalks, he was cut off by a car at a corner that caused him to go into the opposite lane where he was hit by a truck. The accident sent him to the hospital for five and a half months. By the time he left the hospital, he no longer had a job or a place to rest his head at night.
Even though he moved in with his children and grandchildren afterwards, he felt like a burden to his family and left.
While homeless, he worked jobs through temp agencies to survive but never had enough to afford housing. One day, someone told him about the Food Bank’s Partner, Agency Caritas of Waco, where he could receive assistance.
Once a week he stopped by to pick up non-perishable food like canned beans, Vienna sausages, canned soups, and snacks.
“It’s been a help, a big help,” Gilbert said. “It kept you alive for your next day.”
With the help of a case manager at Caritas, he’s been able to get his life back on track. So far, he has been able to secure housing, and even though he still doesn’t have electricity or gas in his new home, having a safe place to sleep is more than enough.
“It’s a blessing to just lock a door and just know that you’re safe,” he said. “Knowing that you got people out there actually trying to help you get off the streets and boost you, that’s a major plus.”
Caritas has been able to provide him with toiletries, dishes and blankets. Thanks to the Food Bank, he has also been able to receive a first month’s supply of groceries. Now that he’s getting his life together, he no longer needs as much food assistance and only goes to Caritas once a month for nutritious food supplements.
As he adjusts to his new life, a job at Goodwill waits for him. Next, he will start checking off his furniture shopping list alongside his supportive girlfriend.
“It’s a step-by-step on my part,” he said. “They’re offering everything that they can offer, but it’s up to the individual to go out and try to better themselves, to get out of the situation he is in.”
