Rapoport Challenge Grant to Benefit Caritas Food Pantry
“Its just ridiculous that we let a situation like this occur in our community!” This was the first response of local philanthropist Bernard Rapoport after reading a front page story in the Waco Tribune Herald about the rising cost of food, which could be causing food shortages especially among Waco and McLennan County’s most vulnerable citizens. So, in response to that concern about increasing food prices and diminishing food donations during the summer months at Caritas, the Bernard and Audre Rapoport Foundation has issued a $100,000.00 “challenge grant” to the Caritas Food Pantry. This grant requires the agency to raise $100,000 itself over the next 120 days in order to receive the Rapoport matching funds. The result would be a net of $200,000 that would be used for the acquisition and providing of food for Caritas clients.
Recently, the number of individuals receiving emergency assistance from the agency has significantly grown. Typically, Caritas serves on a daily basis between 100 and 125 families in need. Such families receive a monthly allocation of food that the agency has secured through food drives, donations from businesses and congregations, food that is “rescued” from grocery stores, bakeries and restaurants, local food producers, and food that is obtained from organizations such as Capital Area Food Bank of Texas.
In April, Caritas saw almost twice the volume of clients it typically sees within a month, and the number of new clients increased from a monthly average of 80 to over 164. This growing need for Caritas food services is coming as more people face the difficulty of not being able to buy groceries after paying mounting bills for rent, utilities, medicine, and gasoline.
According to Mr. Rapoport, “I’m only doing what seems reasonable. When you see people in trouble we need to respond and help them.” Through this grant he is challenging individuals and businesses to do the same. The grant will significantly increased Caritas’ ability to secure food for those in need.
Caritas is asking the community to make donations that will be matched by this challenge grant over the next 120 days. Donations may be sent to Caritas, 300 South 15th Street, Waco, Texas 76701, or donations may be made on-line at the Caritas website: caritas-waco.org, by clicking on “Donate” and following the prompts. Contributions should be marked as donated toward the “Rapoport Challenge.”
“Its just ridiculous that we let a situation like this occur in our community!” This was the first response of local philanthropist Bernard Rapoport after reading a front page story in the Waco Tribune Herald about the rising cost of food, which could be causing food shortages especially among Waco and McLennan County’s most vulnerable citizens. So, in response to that concern about increasing food prices and diminishing food donations during the summer months at Caritas, the Bernard and Audre Rapoport Foundation has issued a $100,000.00 “challenge grant” to the Caritas Food Pantry. This grant requires the agency to raise $100,000 itself over the next 120 days in order to receive the Rapoport matching funds. The result would be a net of $200,000 that would be used for the acquisition and providing of food for Caritas clients.
Recently, the number of individuals receiving emergency assistance from the agency has significantly grown. Typically, Caritas serves on a daily basis between 100 and 125 families in need. Such families receive a monthly allocation of food that the agency has secured through food drives, donations from businesses and congregations, food that is “rescued” from grocery stores, bakeries and restaurants, local food producers, and food that is obtained from organizations such as Capital Area Food Bank of Texas.
In April, Caritas saw almost twice the volume of clients it typically sees within a month, and the number of new clients increased from a monthly average of 80 to over 164. This growing need for Caritas food services is coming as more people face the difficulty of not being able to buy groceries after paying mounting bills for rent, utilities, medicine, and gasoline.
According to Mr. Rapoport, “I’m only doing what seems reasonable. When you see people in trouble we need to respond and help them.” Through this grant he is challenging individuals and businesses to do the same. The grant will significantly increased Caritas’ ability to secure food for those in need.
Caritas is asking the community to make donations that will be matched by this challenge grant over the next 120 days. Donations may be sent to Caritas, 300 South 15th Street, Waco, Texas 76701, or donations may be made on-line at the Caritas website: caritas-waco.org, by clicking on “Donate” and following the prompts. Contributions should be marked as donated toward the “Rapoport Challenge.”
