This Fort Worth church responded immediately when it heard the call for help amid COVID
When students and families in Fort Worth had trouble getting to food distribution sites at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, the school district sent out a call for help to churches.
Broadway Baptist Church answered that call immediately.
Alma Pohler, a specialist in family communications with the district, said the speed at which Broadway Baptist answered and the services it provided were priceless.
“We received calls within two days that parents couldn’t make it to one of our pickup locations,” Pohler said. “We had 18 locations strategically placed, but some of our families could not make it because of transportation issues or concerns about childcare or health. That’s where Broadway stepped in.”
Pohler said the church didn’t stop there and worked to provide other items like age-appropriate books for children. The church also extended its efforts to provide families with free school uniforms and supplies from two days to about two months.
Pohler nominated the church for recognition in the Star-Telegram’s Hometown Heroes series. Hometown Heroes is sponsored by Lockheed Martin, which is providing $1,000 each week over 28 weeks to those selected by the Star-Telegram to be featured in the series.
From late April to early October, the church delivered food to 12 families, some with as many as 11 members in the household.
Senior Pastor Ryan Price said this was possible because of the congregation’s dedication the resources and infrastructure it has built to serve the community in its more than 130 years in Fort Worth’s Near Southside.
Partnerships also played a large role in its ability, Price said.
The church is partnered with the Tarrant Area Food Bank to supply food and with Read Fort Worth and Reading Partners of North Texas to provide books.
“If it weren’t for Broadway Baptist, what would these families have done?” Pohler asked. “Without partners like Broadway, it would be much more difficult to get food to them.”
Peter Nelson, interim director of community ministries and partnerships, said the church was fortunate to be in a position and have the resources to help.
Students and their families rely on the school district for more than just education, he said. Many get two meals a day from their campuses, along with time to socialize and transportation to and from campus.
Nelson said the members of the church knew that and jumped at the opportunity to help.
“It is pretty remarkable,” he said. “We have people who have lost their jobs, but in the process of looking for work they are volunteering their extra time. We’ve been overwhelmed by that.”
The work with the school district was just one part of what the church has done since the onset of the pandemic.
Broadway Baptist usually offers a grocery store-style food pantry, where those in need can go to the church and pick up food from the free pantry. The church adapted that service to a drive-thru food distribution.
Its partnership with Samaritan House, a nearby organization that serves the homeless HIV and AIDS positive community, was expanded to provide daily meals to those who could no longer stay at the house because of health concerns.
The church also reworked its efforts to provide food to the homeless and offer a free hot meal on Thursday nights amid the pandemic.
And a partnership between the church and Clayton Family Services allowed it to host childcare and online education assistance at the church for students who needed it. The church enforced mask wearing and social distancing.
Pohler said the church has committed since the beginning that it would be there to offer assistance as long as it was needed.
“If we hadn’t already had the infrastructure there in place it would have been difficult for us to make a significant contribution,” Price said. “That’s something that’s always been important to us. We do this together which means many individuals and community partners come together to provide the kind of services we have currently.”
Price said the church has given its best effort to help its community and doesn’t have any plans to stop.
“We’ll continue to be here.”
This story was originally published November 1, 2020 at 5:45 AM.