Food ministry ‘delivering hope’
“I made a mistake. I used the wrong address for a food fair location. I caught it, but I knew some of the flyers had already gone out.
“I was worried that some people might go to the wrong place, so I drove out there early that morning. I was so glad there wasn’t a line. It was just one car.
“When I got out to speak with the gentleman, and let him know he could follow me to the correct location, he told me his story. He had just started a new job and moved his family here. But shortly thereafter, the company made cuts. He got laid off. It was one of those last-in, first-out things.
“He was a young guy. He had a wife and two small children. And he said, ‘I’ll be real honest with you. My wife and I have not eaten in a couple days, because we’re making sure the kids are fed.’ I told him to follow me to the food fair.
“I called my dad, who’s one of our biggest supporters, and asked him to pack up some extra food and meet us there. I also told the gentleman about the Pay It Forward Diner, where he and his family could get a free meal that day.
“He looked like the man on the street who you might be scared to approach: real rough, with tattoos all over his body. But in that moment, he was standing there just crying. And he was hugging me. He said, ‘I can’t even believe this is happening.’
“It’s moments like that — I could go on and on with those types of stories — that makes all the work of our staff, volunteers and partners so meaningful.
“When people hear the name, Hearts and Hands of Baytown, they immediately think of food. But it’s so much more than that. We’re delivering hope. We’re giving dignity to people.”
— Nikki Rincon
Nikki is executive director of Hearts and Hands of Baytown, a ministry of Iglesia Cristo Viene church. Through food fairs and various other programs with community partners, they strive to eradicate hunger and its underlying causes.
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