The Clay County Outreach Food Pantry has been in continuous operation since 1985 serving the citizens of Clay County providing food staples for food insecure residents of Henrietta and the surrounding county.
A non-profit 501(c) (3) organization that is all-volunteer with no paid staff. All operational costs are covered by donations and grants. The need is great, Clay County has 1600 food insecure citizens including 500 children.
The Clay County Outreach Food Pantry has been serving over 183 families annually, including 441 individuals, 114 children, and 112 senior citizens. The Clay County Outreach Food Pantry is open for food distribution every Friday from 9am-11am distributing bread, fresh fruits and vegetables. They have second Friday of each month is ‘pantry day’ when canned goods, dry goods (pasta, cereal, crackers), and frozen meat are handed out in addition to the normal Friday food selection.
Clay County Outreach Pantry partners with the Wichita Falls Area Food Bank to obtain the majority of our food supplies, which is obtained for free or at reduced prices. When supplies are low, and donated funds are available, we purchase additional food supplies from other sources. The Wichita Falls Area Food Bank also sends a distribution truck to the Outreach Pantry three Fridays a month to hand out additional food staples.
After several years of operating out of an old church, the City of Henrietta donated Holman Community Center to Clay County Outreach for use as a Food Pantry. A fundraising drive was then conducted to finance the building modifications and new shelving, freezers, refrigerators and equipment. $96,000 was raised in a fundraising drive. The Outreach is extremely grateful to all our donors that made this fundraiser a success. As a result of that drive, Clay County Outreach was able to purchase:
•Installation and shelving for donated 15x15 foot walk-in freezer
•Two commercial reach-in refrigerators
•New grocery-style shelving for convenient food shopping
•New work tables
•Pallet truck and hand trucks
•Installation of new building signs
•Upcoming – new paved parking lot
Part of that drive success was a $250 grant provided to the Clay County Outreach by the Wichita Falls Southwest Rotary Club this past Rotary year for which our Clay County Outreach Past President Chris Sauer was extremely grateful.
