‘It’s just devastating.’ Fort Worth east side food pantry forced to close after fire
The food pantry at Eastside Ministries is closed indefinitely after an early morning fire damaged the building and ruined most of the food.
Diane Moore, acting executive director and president of the board, said the fire started early Tuesday, and the fire department was on scene from 2 a.m. until about 5 a.m.
Moore said the food pantry manager contacted her shortly after 7 a.m. when she saw a red tag on the door and a note from the fire department concerning the damage.
“It’s just devastating,” Moore said.
Moore said when she heard about the fire, she immediately went to the food pantry at 5929 Lancaster Ave. Eastside Ministries helps between 65 to over 100 families a day with food, she said.
The food pantry volunteers were preparing pre-packaged Christmas dinners for families who were counting on them, she said.
They are contacting the families to let them know what happened, and Eastside Ministries is trying to find alternative sources to provide the Christmas dinners, Moore said.
Moore said the food pantry also gives sack lunches to the unhoused. For some, it’s their only meal of the day.
Eastside Ministries also provides clothing and toiletries in another building, which will be open for people who need a warm coat or other items.
“It will be a couple of months before we are up and running. We are going to have to start from scratch.”
On Monday, volunteers had picked up donated food from several stores, and the shelves and walk-in freezers were full. After the fire, volunteers threw away food on the shelves and gave the frozen meat to churches and other food pantries, Moore said.
Moore said she doesn’t have a damage estimate. The Fort Worth fire department did not respond to phone and email messages seeking comment.
During the pandemic, Moore said the number of people needing help increased, and the need for food and clothing continues to grow.
“My prayer is that someone in Fort Worth would donate a building so that we can give out food,” she said.
This story was originally published November 28, 2023 at 5:33 PM.