The CHRISTUS Community Impact Fund and CHRISTUS Good Shepherd Health System are proud to continue a legacy of supporting fellow local organizations that are responding to the needs of our community. In the past two years, nearly half a million dollars has been awarded to agencies in Longview and Marshall. This year, a $100,000 grant was awarded to the East Texas Food Bank to support the Longview Resource Center as they combat food insecurity in East Texas.

The East Texas Food Bank will tackle food insecurity at the Longview Resource Center through a number of initiatives, including a Healthy Food Pantry which will provide nutritious food through a “client choice” distribution model, as well as nutrition education classes and food demonstrations; a Benefits Assistance Program to help clients apply for SNAP and other social service benefits, including Medicaid, Texas Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), the Medicare Savings Program, and Healthy Texas Women; and access to wrap-around services such as Texas Workforce Commission, WIC, Greater East Texas Community Action Program (GETCAP), health screenings, and other services provided through collaboration with local community organizations and healthcare partnerships with which ETFB works at other locations.

The Longview Resource Center will also be a host site for the ETFB Agency Institute which provides training, resources and support to partner agencies in various aspects of nonprofit management. The evening and weekend hours offered at the center will complement current food resource schedules in the area and will give the working poor in particular increased access to the food they need. With this support, the Resource Center plans to serve 3,100 individuals in the coming year.

“We are so excited to partner with the CHRISTUS Fund so we can address the issues of hunger and eliminate barriers to receiving vital support in Gregg County,” said Dennis Cullinane, CEO of the East Texas Food Bank. “The new Longview Resource Center will help us expand our programs so we can distribute more food and serve more people where and when it’s needed the most.”

“CHRISTUS Good Shepherd is woven into the fabric of this community, and we are committed to partnering with and supporting programs that align with our core values, supporting folks here in our community. The East Texas Food Bank, and our other CHRISTUS Fund Grant award recipients certainly fit that bill, honoring the dignity of every person it serves,” said Todd Hancock, Chief Executive Officer, CHRISTUS Good Shepherd Health System. “This grant is another way for CHRISTUS Good Shepherd to contribute to the overall health of this region, beyond the walls of our hospitals and clinics.”