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START AGAIN MINISTRIES Food Distribution Center General Description There are millions of people in America and abroad
that have been displaced from their homes, for one reason or another.
Many of these people are in our own backyards; many are families with
small children. Many go without food for days at a time.
Countless millions have homes, but no food or other necessities. Through the years of operating food pantries, we discovered one thing: It was hard to find food and household items from a single source. We discovered there were many other organizations and churches willing to open pantries that would assist the needy in their neighborhoods, but most knew NOTHING about acquiring the food or household goods. Many times organizations would die out because of a lack of supply, leaving the people in need once again. The solution: In 1996, we helped with a major distribution center that is capable of receiving, sorting, warehousing and distributing perishable and non-perishable goods in a timely fashion. With large “drive-thru” refrigerators and freezers, and loads of dry storage, we are able to utilize food that might otherwise get wasted and discarded because of its perishable nature. The center is capable of supporting, not just walk-in clientele, but organizations that will distribute to persons in their areas. This is how the Food Bank was formed in Ft. Worth, TX. The Food Bank currently distributes food to hundreds of ministries and organizations as well as hundreds of families per month from a single location. To do this, relationships were built with many corporations, including Food Lion Grocery Stores & Panera Breads. We received meats, vegetables, cheeses, seafood, and many other items, free of charge. In 1998, we started a program with McDonalds Restaurants to donate hamburgers and other food that is left on their warming trays after only 11 minutes. (It is a corporate rule that a hamburger can only sit for 11 minutes on the warming trays before they have to be discarded. They would throw them away and replace with fresh products.) Each donation location received a small freezer, and instead of wasting the burgers, they were collected and taken to a homeless shelter every evening. The proposed distribution center in Houston is a clone of our work in Ft. Worth, Texas. In the major Houston area, there are over 6 million people. Thousands of families and individuals are going without food on a regular basis within this highly populated area. There are over 200 small organizations based in the Houston area trying to help, but they do not know how to work with corporate America getting the food and supplies they need. We will utilize the corporate relationships we enjoy to meet this need. The distribution center will receive mixed food and supplies, sort, warehouse and distribute food, clothing, and other household items. The facility will be located in North Houston and will act as a preparation area to accumulate foods and other supplies that will go overseas for further humanitarian aid.
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