Caritas of Waco, a local food pantry, is in need of more volunteers.
The non-profit organization provides food, clothing and household items to families in need.
We're in great need of volunteers to help in our pantry. If you want to help, call 254-753-4593 or come to 300 S 15th St. #VolunteersNeeded
— Caritas of Waco (@caritasofwaco) December 8, 2016
The organization served more than 3,000 families during the month of November, which is a record for them.
"Caritas has been extremely busy," Buddy Edwards, Executive Director for Caritas of Waco, said. "We still have a very large percentage of Waco population living in poverty. The poverty rate in Waco is twice the national average or even more than twice the national average. It continues to be a very serious concern."
The food pantry serves nearly 100 families in Central Texas every day.
Sonya Cooper, the volunteer coordinator for Caritas, said because they have been so busy lately, they need more help.
"The pantry is the lifeblood of Caritas. It's where we serve people and they get their food. Without our volunteers, we can't do that," Cooper said. "We actually see a loss of volunteers during the holiday season. So we try to pad with more volunteers during the holiday season because we know we'll lose some of the ones that are regularly here."
There are normally about 100 volunteers that serve in the food pantry each month.
Caritas accepts non-perishable canned goods and boxed goods. The pantry cannot give out homemade goods that are donated.
For more information on how you can donate or volunteer, visit Caritas of Waco.
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