Helping Hands Ministry executive director Mike Bergman said the organization purchased more than 900 turkeys to give clients for Thanksgiving Day.
“But I may have to purchase some more,” Bergman said. “We may end up needing over 1,000.”
Bergman said the Turkey Hunters Association of Texas donated 180 of the birds Monday morning.
The ministry recently entered into a lease purchase of a building at 2210 Holland Road. It is large at 12,500 square feet, Bergman said, but will meet the future needs of expanding social services.
Monday was the first day for the group to use the building for a food distribution center.
“We are officially still at our old location at 1009 W. Ave. D,” Bergman said.
He said they would shutter the new location the rest of this week and tie up business at Avenue D, then open on Holland Road permanently Monday, Dec. 1.
Bergman said the new location sits on an acre of land, has 200 feet of paved parking in front, a walk-in food chiller, a loading dock in the rear and 12 storage units at the back of the property that are rented out, generating $500 a month.
“When we close on our sale in April that $500 will help us pay for this building,” Bergman said.
He said they bought a walk-in freezer for the Avenue D location that can be moved to the new store.
About 30 volunteers were on hand Monday to carry orders to a line of cars that stretched back for more than a city block. Bergman said the organization services between 550 and 580 families a week on a regular basis. In addition to food distribution, Helping Hands has a clothing department and assists some clients with utility bills and medications.
“In October we set a record of serving 979 families for food,” Bergman said. “Some come every week. Others come every other week. It depends on what they need.”
He said Helping Hands has 65 to 70 volunteers who come from the 22 supporting churches that help fund Helping Hands. Others are filling a requirement with the Belton Housing Authority for when they are unemployed. The adult probation program also allows community service time at Helping Hands.
Bergman said the organization has known for 10 years it needed larger space. It had outgrown the 2,500 square foot building at Avenue D. That building is on a small parcel leased from the city of Belton next to its maintenance department.
He said a volunteer alerted him to the availability of the Holland Road property - a former Dollar General store. The owner offered them terms of $150,000 down on a sales price of $400,000 owner financed.
“The board met here one evening and sat in a circle,” Bergman said. “They thought it was perfect for us but all we had was $2,500 in our building account.”
The board asked Bergman where they would get the money.
“I don’t know,” he said. “But God knows. And we trust him. And he knows where the money is and in whose pockets it is. And he will show us.”
The board decided if it could raise $50,000 by Sept. 15 they would go for it. Friends of the organization came through, Bergman said.
He said they pay $4,000 a month in rent of which $2,000 a month will apply to the down payment. He said the goal is to raise $200,000 by April to meet the down payment and have enough for interior alterations.
But the organization is looking for help to meet that goal, Bergman said.
Helping Hands buys much of its bulk food bank merchandise in cans and packaging from Capitol Area Food Bank in Austin. Bergman said he budgets $800 per week at 16 cents a pound on the average. Capitol Area also supplies frozen bread and pastries and fresh produce.
The organization was incorporated as Helping Hands Ministry in 1995 when Belton churches pushed to unite all charity drives under one roof. Prior to that it was called Belton Welfare - primarily a clothing program.
Clients are screened according to need and must live within the Belton school district, Bergman said.
For information on Helping Hands Ministry and how to help, go to its Web site at: www.helpinghandsbelton.org/get-involved.
