NAVASOTA, Texas (KRHD) — First United Methodist Church in Navasota is expanding its community outreach efforts with a comprehensive program designed to help neighbors before financial emergencies strike.
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The church's "Pastor's Helping Hands" program operates on the third Thursday of each month from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., offering food pantry access, toiletries, clothing, and one-time financial assistance for utilities.
"We're going to be trying to meet people's needs upstream. We meet the root causes of those needs so that it doesn't become an emergency down the road," Pastor Matt Cecil said.
The program serves residents who need temporary support to bridge financial gaps, often helping people make it to their next payday.
"We see a lot of people who are coming in just once to bridge a gap," Cecil said.
Church volunteer Lainie Cline emphasized the program serves people who typically wouldn't seek assistance but find themselves in difficult circumstances.
"People that don't really want to have to use these services, but they need to circumstances in their lives have made it to where they need to be here and we're here for them," Cline said.
The church is now hiring a case manager for a new initiative called "Helping Hands Justice," which will provide financial literacy and job training to community members.
"That's gonna be a primary component of this justice work that we're trying to do of teaching people how to use money, and how to save appropriately," Cecil said.
Cline believes the proactive approach will prevent larger problems down the road.
"If we can help them, find jobs, whatever it is that they need, then we can stop it on the front end and not have to pick it up down on the back end," Cline said.
More information is available at navasotamethodistchurch.org.
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