Joaquin sets out pallets of food bags, produce, eggs, milk and other items early in the morning

At six every Saturday morning, as the sun warms the sky, pallets of produce and other items are brought to the entrance of the Ysleta Lutheran Mission Human Care’s (YLM) parking lot and set next to each other as volunteers begin to arrive thirty minutes later.  In the span of one hour, twenty to thirty boxes have been filled with the pre-assembled food bags with items donated by the El Pasoans Fighting Hunger Food Bank and filled with produce donated by Quality Fruits and Vegetables Company, a local wholesale market.

Volunteers work together to fill up food boxes until everything is gone

“I honestly didn’t think we would be able to give out food past the third week,” Joaquin, one of the volunteers from San Pablo Lutheran Church who has helped supervise the new form of the YLM-San Pablo Food Pantry, shared during the week while taking a break, “I thought we would run out before the first month of quarantine would be over, but I am surprised every week with how much God has been providing for us to give to people in need.”

Joaquin moved to El Paso from Cuba four years ago as a refugee.  He and his wife found a home here at San Pablo/YLM, and have been a part of the ministry that takes place every day and many different forms.  As a Cuban, he is well aware of what the scarcity of food is like as Cuba has had a shortage of many things for years now.

Produce is sifted, separated, and placed in individual food boxes to give out to families

“Being from Cuba has given me a somewhat pessimistic view of things, especially in these times that are so familiar to me…the empty shelves, the lack of things needed to survive,” Joaquin kept sharing regarding his experiences growing up in Cuba, “We’ve been here for four years and this is the first time I see rows and rows of empty shelves when I go to the grocery store…but I also see my wife praying, and the YLM staff praying, and the church praying, and, every week, we get more and more food to give away to people in need.  This amazes me!”

Produce donations from Quality Fruits and Vegetables Co. increase in quantity and quality every week

For the last month, YLM has been receiving beyond generous donations of produce from Quality Fruits and Vegetables Company, as well as the El Pasoans Fighting Hunger.  Not only that, but the faithful volunteers from San Pablo and Zion Lutheran Churches, as well as the Zaragoza Rotary Club of El Paso, are here without fail, every Saturday morning, at six thirty in the morning, getting everything ready to distribute by 7:30.

“My philosophy is give it all away,” Joaquin said as he organized people to different sections to ensure none of the food boxes had missing items, “And I am so glad to be working with a group of people, from Pastor Heimer all the way to the volunteers, who feel the same way.  Every Saturday, when we’ve run out of food, I see the nearly empty warehouse and I pray for God to keep providing…and the next Saturday, I am overjoyed as over a hundred food boxes loaded with so much variety, are loaded up into cars or push-carts for those who walk here for their food.  God is good…really, really good.”

With the immense support via #GivingTuesdayNOW, individual donations, and a grant from the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS), YLM continues to provide this much needed mercy to people in need, sharing with them a kind smile, words of compassion, and the love of God.