Helping Hands Ministry assists families in dignified ways

By Amy Rognlie | Photos courtesy of HELPING HANDS MINISTRY OF BELTON

“It can be scary or embarrassing for people to come here for the first time and admit that they need help,” said Alicia Jallah, executive director of Helping Hands Ministry of Belton, an organization that is the true definition of love, compassion and respect. “Our goal is to always point people to Christ. The way we love, serve and equip our neighbors is always grounded in the one who loved us first.”

Jallah and her large team of volunteers and staff of chaplains, social workers and community members are there to help make everyone feel valued, seen and loved from the moment they step through the door.

Located in eastern Bell County, Helping Hands Ministry has been serving Bell County since 1995 when a group of pastors from various churches saw a growing need to serve those who were hungry in our community by distributing food and offering the hope found in Jesus.

The ministry’s Neighborhood Food Pantry is set up as a grocery store, allowing folks to select their food in a dignified manner. On average, the ministry now distributes 40,000 pounds of food a month to an average of 515 households per week and more than 100 new families every month. Most “neighbors” who utilize Helping Hands are working poor families, the elderly and those with disabilities, though the organization has noted a growing number of individuals and families who are newly needing to utilize their food pantry due to the ongoing high costs of groceries and utilities.

Besides the food pantry, the ministry’s resale shop, Laura Mae’s, offers a dignified shopping experience for neighbors to be able to be providers for their families at a price point they can afford. Helping Hands even offers vouchers for families in their care ministry program to receive clothing and household items from the shop. Laura Mae’s is also open to the public and all proceeds from the shop support Helping Hands programs.

New additions to the ministry include a resource center where neighbors have access to printers, copiers, and computers with internet access. Staff members are available to help folks fill out job applications, set up email accounts and apply for government benefits. In addition, social workers and chaplains are on hand to explain the programs that are available. Of course, Helping Hands can’t meet every need, but they work hard to help neighbors obtain the help they need.

“We don’t just send people away,” Jallah said. “We’re very protective of our people and we have a great network. We won’t send someone anywhere that we don’t know is a good place.”

In the small, welcoming chapel, volunteers conduct weekly Bible studies in both English and Spanish. In addition, Helping Hands offers classes on various topics, such as personal finance, parenting, stress management and Medicaid 101. During the school year, the ministry partners with three local elementary schools to distribute weekend snack packs to more than 175 students who face weekend food insecurity. A weekend snack pack includes a combination of breakfast items, protein items, juice, fruit and snacks.

One of the largest impacts on the Bell County community is the ministry’s annual Project Apple Tree. For more than 20 years, through the countless hours and resources of hundreds of volunteers, churches, local businesses, and community groups, Project Apple Tree has served thousands of Belton Independent School District students by helping their families have access to the supplemental resources students need to succeed in school. Every August, parents have the opportunity to “shop” for a backpack, school supplies and a new pair of shoes for each of their children.

This year, Helping Hands Ministry of Belton teamed up with Belton ISD, First Blessing and Perry’s Office Plus to give parents and caregivers the opportunity to purchase new shoes and school supplies for their students who will be attending Belton ISD, Academy ISD, and Holland ISD in the fall.

“Our goal,” Jallah says, “is to make the parents be the heroes of the story and be the provider in a very dignified way.”

GET INVOLVED
Phone: 254-939-7355
Email: info@helpinghandsbelton.org
Website: helpinghandsbelton.org
Give: helpinghandsbelton.org/give-1