VIDOR, Texas — Residents of a Vidor Nursing facility were joyous as they worked with nurses and staff members to stack their new food pantry.
Oakwood Manor Nursing held the grand opening of their new food pantry Friday. The Oakwood Manor Community Pantry will be open 24 hours per day, seven days per week in front of the nursing home.
The nursing home is located at 225 S. Main Street in Vidor.
The goal is to offer free food and toiletries to the entire community, specifically the elderly community.
"It fills me with joy to be able to stock and supply all the stuff for senior citizens. you know, people who can't get to something like this," Mary Kelley, Oakwood Manor Nursing resident, said.
Members of the community have already donated items such as rice, crackers, and canned goods in support of the pantry. The nursing facility also even received cleaning items and toiletries, including adult diapers, tampons, and toilet paper.
"A good variety of non-perishable shelf stable food items," Brianne Davis, business development specialist at Oakwood Manor Nursing, said. "We try to focus on ready-to-eat items or simple ingredients that can be easily made into a meal. But also, we try to focus on things like personal hygiene items, toiletry items and things that someone might not have access to."
Davis feels the pantry is of great importance and will be a huge help to those in need.
"We try to keep in mind the needs of senior citizens as their income becomes a little more difficult for them to access certain items later in life, but it is for anyone that needs it," Davis said.
Lydia Fontenot has lived at the nursing home for two years. Friday was her first time stocking a food pantry.
"First of all, we had coffee," Fontenot said. "Then we came out here, and we helped put all the stuff in the pantry like sugar and salt, rice, pepper, just all kinds of mixes, you know, that was great."
Fontenot agrees that the facility's ne community food pantry will help those in need.
"When you get old, and you can't get out you know, you need help."
Oakwood Manor Nursing is still accepting donations of items for their pantry such as non-perishable foods and toiletries