“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”

~ 1 Thessalonians 5:11

Produce donated by the Quality Fruit and Vegetable Company was given out to close to 200 families

Throughout the difficulties brought on by the response to COVID-19, those helping at, and through, Ysleta Lutheran Mission Human Care (YLM), has seen the great compassion and generosity expressed by so many people in our El Paso community, but also supporters from throughout the nation.

Food and face masks were received with smiles of thanksgiving

At YLM, one of the main ministries has become the YLM-San Pablo Food Pantry, and for the last month, they have continued giving out food baskets to people in need. The Drive-Thru Food Pantry has been an efficient and quick, with close to 200 individuals, and their families receive food boxes loaded with food staples, non-perishable items, and produce every Saturday morning. A lot of the people receiving help from YLM are low-income, retired, disabled, or currently unemployed.

Thanks to a grant received from the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, and the continued support from the El Pasoans Fighting Hunger food bank through donations of large quantities of food items, the Food Pantry has been giving generous food baskets since the beginning of the year.  As resources are becoming somewhat limited for food banks, YLM has sought other avenues to be able to continue giving much needed food to the surrounding community.

Rotary Club member helps load food boxes into vehicles or carts of people who walk in

Rev Dr. Karl Heimer reached out to Quality Fruit and Vegetable Company, a local wholesale market in El Paso. “They were happy to give us their surplus of produce. It’s amazing to see the variety and quality of produce they have blessed our community with through their generosity.”

Sharon, member of Zion Lutheran Church, takes down names and hands out homemade face masks

Last Saturday, on top of giving out food boxes filled with produce and other food staples, 100 fabric face masks donated by the LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs Team Pax and Phoebe, from St. Paul Lutheran Church in Ft. Worth and The Summit in Aledo, Texas were given out to people who stopped by for food.  Many of them were so grateful to receive much needed masks, meant to help protect others, and with an added filter pocket in all masks, themselves.

“I have a family of six,” a woman shared as one of Zion Lutheran Church’s members offered her a mask, “And we needed these so much because we can’t find any masks in stores.”

With the help of community partners such as El Pasoans Fighting Hunger and the Quality Fruit and Vegetable Company, along with the LCMS grant and donations from YLM supporters, along with weekly volunteers from San Pablo and Zion Lutheran Church and the Zaragoza Rotary Club of El Paso, food boxes will continue to be distributed Saturday mornings for people in need.