Greetings in the name of our Lord,
Today was a tough day. We had a limit of 175 cars and had to turn away around 100 cars, telling them to come earlier tomorrow. It breaks my heart to have to turn folks away. Like yesterday we interviewed drivers and discovered again, that most of them have either lost their jobs, had their hours reduced or have been furloughed. The need is immense and growing by the day.
Brian Greene, President of Houston Food Bank came to visit WHAM today. He was deeply impressed by the operation and thankful for all the work we are doing. I was able to thank him for all the amazing food and supplies that Houston Food Bank have given us, making our work of distribution much more successful. One of the things he talked about was the possibility that we could receive more food from the Houston Food Bank to meet the increasing need.
My read of the economic circumstances here in Houston is that even when eventually non-essential businesses can start to operate again, the need for help will remain at a significant level for quite some time to come. So I have began a conversation with my frontline leaders as to how we might achieve this. One thing is clear, I remain committed to caring for the staff and volunteers, and right now they are maxed out. So any new approach will most likely involve several new crews to staff it.
What do you think? I welcome your thoughts and ideas as to how we might increase our output to meet the demand. Either leave a comment here or email me at mark.brown@whamministries.org
What an honor it is to serve God this way!
Ken Smith of Crew 3, working hard in the hot sun. 
Crew 3 setting up in the afternoon 
Brian Greene, President of Houston Food Bank and I. 
Crew 1 setting up for a busy day 
Verita getting the cold goods ready 
Early this morning, getting the food bagged and ready
