Eternal Food Ministry: Feeding Mouths and Hearts
More than 17,000 pounds of food distributed to families in need in the Katy area
Written by Kenzie Stanfield | Select photography by Marissa Hugonnett
Katy, Texas News – Once a month at a community park you will see volunteers gather with boxes and brightly colored bags. To the untrained eye it may look a little like a party, but for many in need in the community it’s food distribution Saturday.
Reaching the Hungry
The Eternal Food Ministry (EFM) is a faith-based, non-profit, mobile food pantry that serves a large portion of West Houston, including parts of Harris, Fort Bend, and Waller counties. According to Pastor John Taylor, evangelist and mission leader for EFM, “The primary goal is to reach the hungry and food-insecure with necessary food supplies through soliciting, collecting, and packaging of food for distribution.”
on local volunteers
Physical and Inner Hunger
The beauty of their ministry is to not only provide an adequate food supply, but also to improve the wellbeing of those whom they serve through nutrition related counseling, education of available health and social services, and most importantly, to feed an inner need through the good news of Jesus Christ. Their mission is providing for the physical needs in order to meet the inner hunger.
Humble Beginnings
The pantry had humble beginnings, as most food ministries do, springing from a local church on Fifth St. in Historic Katy in 2009. As head of the church’s community outreach, Taylor sought to work with various groups and local organizations to expand the food distribution program to benefit those who would most need the service.
Eternal Food Ministry was incorporated as a 501(c3) in May 2010 and in less than two years, they opened their doors to their first emergency food pantry. It is able to serve those who require immediate food assistance in addition to EFM’s monthly mobile food service.
Love and Serve Others
The driving force behind all that EFM does is the love of God, engrained in their hearts as Christians. “We believe as a body of Christ, that our lives should be of service to others, especially the less privileged,” shares Taylor. His passion and dedication to serving our community speaks to the specific calling of this ministry and their sense of commitment to tangibly love and serve others.
John Taylor wanted to expand his
church’s community outreach
Meeting Needs
As are most ministries and non-profits, EFM is heavily dependent on their amazing volunteers because of their various areas of service. Not only do they have the monthly mobile food distribution program and the intermittent emergency food program, they also administer a “feed the children” food program, aimed at school-age children who struggle accessing nutritious and balanced food – especially on weekends, holidays, and during the summer. In addition, EFM also runs the Eternal Food Ministry Resale Store.
Volunteer-Driven
As evidenced by the tremendous amount of work that is done, volunteers are crucial to the entire mission of EFM. “They are the heart and soul of our ministry and are present in all aspects of our daily operations,” says Taylor. Volunteers are on hand to help with everything from administration and managing food drives, to food packaging and distribution. They staff the warehouse and resale shop, coordinate fundraising, and even help with media and marketing.
Undoubtedly, there is always a need. But also one that can quickly be met by those willing to get involved and serve. Presently, the biggest need is acquiring a larger facility for both food storage and packaging. EFM is hopeful other community organizations will join hands to assist in the effort to help meet the constant food needs of the Katy area.
Katy Benefits
The work of EFM benefits the entire Katy community and has an impact that is impossible to ignore. Taylor shares, “In all areas, we have seen people’s lives being touched by the love of God and the love for one another in this community.” KM
KENZIE STANFIELD loves to support both local and overseas ministries that directly impact lives. She is married to her high school sweetheart and they are expecting their fifth child.
