St. Baldrick’s headshaving event fast approaching
Would you shave your head for a good cause? Over the past 11 years, hundreds have gathered at the Goose’s Acre Bistro and Irish Pub in The Woodlands Waterway area in March to shave their heads in solidarity with children fighting cancer.
Tiffany Ray, Stonebridge Food Pantry president and executive director, received a calling from God to help feed people who were hurting spiritually, emotionally and financially.
The Christian woman prayed on it for days in hopes that she would find an answer to what she could do help feed God’s children, she said.
With the help of her Bible study group, Ray started collecting donations in a house behind the Stonebridge Church property. With no refrigerator or way to store other items, the group could only collect and distribute non-perishable foods.
Now approximately nine years later, the Stonebridge food pantry, located at 1 StoneBridge Church Drive in The Woodlands, feeds roughly 6,000 people a year with fresh meat, cheeses and produce, bread and even snacks for the children.
“It is truly ministry blessed by God,” she said. “It was his idea and it’s his children we are feeding.”
Recently, the Montgomery County communities of Johnson Development Corp., including Grand Central Park in Conroe, Harmony and Woodforest, together with Give Thanks, a charity built around donating to the pantry, gave $750 to StoneBridge Food Pantry through the development’s grant program, which takes applications from Realtors and awards money to a favorite charity. The grants are awarded each quarter.
Emily Wilcox, with Blake Wilcox Properties, nominated the StoneBridge Pantry because the business felt the organization is really helping the community. The Blakes were once members of Stonebridge Church.
The Blakes’ real estate agency started Give Thanks Thanksgiving Dinner Drive to raise money for Stonebridge Food Pantry’s annual Thanksgiving dinner, where it feeds more than 240 people in the community.
“We picked Stonebridge because they were a big thing in our heart and we always wanted to give back. StoneBridge needed help,” said the Woodforest resident, adding that neighboring communities had many charities assisting them but the Stonebridge Food Pantry filled in the need in the immediate area.
With nearly 60 volunteers – including several who are bilingual – the food pantry is more than able to assist the many clients who come in every Tuesday and Thursday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
“People are hurting out there. There is a lot going on,” Ray said. “There is a lot going on with husbands being deported. And it’s the kids who are suffering. I have a big heart for the kids and the elderly.”
The food pantry has expanded so much that they are now able to offer school supplies, backpacks filled with snacks, toiletries, cupcakes and Christmas presents. Last year, the organization was able to give 500 children a present for Christmas, she said. Clients also can shop at a clothing pantry that’s on site.
Stonebridge Food Pantry teams up with other charities, such as Interfaith of The Woodlands, which has assisted the pantry when it ran out of supplies.
One way Stonebridge Food Pantry stands out from other charitable organizations is by how it offers support.
“A lot of clients will call just for the prayer,” she said. After they are finished shopping, volunteers can pray with them. That’s where we are different. We get to love on them and pray with them.”
If you are someone who needs assistance or would like to volunteer, visit http://gostonebridge.com/foodpantry/ for more information.
To qualify for assistance from the food pantry, clients must bring a valid Texas driver’s license or Texas identification card, proof of address and financial need such as free school lunch form, medicaid and disability forms or bank statements. The pantry does not offer financial assistance.