BASTROP COUNTY, Texas — Feed the Need Missions is a nonprofit based in Bastrop County that serves those in need and to communities during natural disasters.
The organization said the trailer they use to set up and cook meals from site to site in Central Texas was stolen and broken into.
They first posted on Facebook about the incident. They said it possibly happened sometime Tuesday morning and that the trailer was recovered at the String Prairie Community Center in southern Bastrop County.
“This trailer is what feeds all the people. It’s the tool and it’s the resource that we have to go out into communities to build those relationships," said Jason Bray, vice president of Feed the Need Missions. "The biggest toll that this takes on us as a ministry is logistical."
The group said some of the items taken out of the trailer were the LED lighting system, the solar-powered marine battery system, along with propane tanks, donations, cooking utensils, fire extinguishers, cleaning supplies and most marketing materials. In addition, the trailer door was busted and ripped off. They said it totals thousands of dollars worth of damage and missing property.
Bray said it was reported to the Bastrop County Sheriff's Office.
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“It’s got everything we need to set up and serve the folks," said Jonah Beyer, president of Feed the Need. “Logistically, we’ve got to figure out how to pull together the resources now to get out there and keep serving those communities and to keep serving those people because we love them."
But the group was right back at it Wednesday night serving families just north of Downtown Bastrop with the help of the community and borrowing all sorts of items for the evening.
“We’ve seen the change just in the little time that we’ve been doing this here at this site since October and we’ve just seen the change so much in everyone’s faces," said Dana Gilmore, a volunteer.
The organization itself has been around for close to a decade and they said they serve thousands of meals across Texas every month.
Bray said the demand in rural communities for a service like this is there.
"There is a demand and a need for it," said Bray. "Oftentimes it's the only hot meal they'll get all week."
The organization said it's in need of donations to get the trailer back out in operation, but will continue serving communities like they normally do every week. You can donate by clicking here.
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