The Market on Tierra Blanca aiming to alleviate food insecurity in Randall County

CANYON, Texas (KFDA) - The first ever full-service food pantry in Randall County is aiming to alleviate food insecurity in the area.

“The more research we did, the more we realized there’s a food insecurity problem in Randall. In fact, The Bivins Foundation, they’ve done extensive research on this topic and they found out that there are more food insecure seniors in Randall County than any other county in the Panhandle,” said Glenn Backus, director of St. Helen’s Outreach.

With those numbers in hand, the food pantry is specifically geared toward senior citizens but also West Texas A&M University students.

“I think what’s important for the community to know is they have great students attending WT and they are going out and making a big difference. Our goal is to create an experience where they leave and they know, ‘I felt welcome, I felt taken care of and I had a successful WT experience and I’m going out to make a difference.’ And if this collaboration with St. Helen’s, The Market provides a simple way to create success, that’s what we are all about and helping students find that success in alleviating needs that they should never have to face,” said Dr. Shawn Fouts, senior director of campus community at WTAMU.

When the pantry opens, qualified clients will show for food using allotted credits in a store setting.

“We have a registered dietician and nutritionist on our board, she has helped us create a food pyramid for our target demographic for our seniors and WT students that is geared toward their specific needs,” said Backus.

The Market focuses on four areas to be successful including food sourcing, volunteers, donations and community effort.

The food pantry is hosing a soft opening Nov. 21 with a grand opening in January.

To learn more or fill out a client application, click here.

Copyright 2023 KFDA. All rights reserved.