The RCBC Helping Hand Food Pantry located at 11755 US 281 N, Spring Branch, hosted a ribbon cutting event for their newly built facility on Tues. June 11. Over one hundred people including State Representatives and representatives from all the contributing partners were in attendance to celebrate the event.

The pantry had been previously operating out of a closet and other nooks and crannies of the Rebecca Creek Baptist Church for the past three years. The new facility allows for a more streamline process of the ‘client choice’ method to providing help to those who need it most.

Helping Hands already services more than one hundred families from Spring Branch, Bulverde, Canyon Lake, Kendalia and Blanco areas. As a partner with San Antonio Food Bank volunteers will help families file a USDA application and obtain access to healthy food.

Clients are given a specific number of points once a month in grains, vegetables, fruits, proteins and dairy categories to encourage healthy eating habits. They will be able to shop for the items their families like best therefore alleviating waste.

“Before all of our produce was just sitting in a box and people had to dig through it and some didn’t even want to fool with it,” Director Penny Opperman said. “Now we can lay it out and offer it to people; they can see what it is, and we’ll even find recipes to teach them how to prepare it.”

The pantry received funds nearly five thousand pounds of food a month from the San Antonio Food Band and volunteers drive to Target several times a month to collect donations of proteins and produce. They also offer a wide array of dietary items such as low-sodium, sugar-free and gluten-free options.

In addition to the food, clients will also receive nutrition education, and spiritual guidance from a trained instructor at no additional cost.

RCBC Helping Hands is open on the first and third Thursdays of the month from 2 to 5:45 p.m. but will have expanded hours soon.