Back in April, 2005, some folks got together and formed a food bank to provide food to the Newton Community. The original concept included several themes, but the main theme was; "no one in Newton County should go hungry." At that time, the task seemed difficult if not impossible. Where would we get the food and/or money to buy food? Where would we keep the food? How would we distribute it? Well, everything fell into place and we have been in operation for over a year, successfully feeding those who are hungry. The other thing we hoped to accomplish was to involve all of the churches in this area in an joint ecumenical effort to practice the scripture... "for I was hungry and you gave me food." (Matthew 25:35). The Food Share is supported partly by funds from various churches and staffed by volunteers. The Food Share is an organization with a Board of Directors and a tax exempt status as a federally recognized  501(C)3. That means any donations are qualified as deductible from federal income tax filings.

Our ability to distribute as much food as we do is made possible by our affiliation with the South East Texas Food Bank in Beaumont and support through a donation from Operation Round Up.

The Food Share is located in the old hospital at the top of the hill on Main Street in Newton. As you face the building from Main Street, the entrance is behind the building on the right side. Hours are from 10 AM to 4 PM (closed from noon to 1 PM) on 2nd and 4th Thursdays of each month. There is a food share program at the Baptist Church in Deweyville that serves southern Newton County.

The following pictures were taken on July 16. Mary Pat Lafitte is stocking the shelves getting ready for our first customers of the day.

On October 2, 2006, the Food Share had its annual meeting of the Board of Directors. Charlet Meyer reviewed the statistics for the current year of 2006, from January 1 to August 31. The Food Share has supplied food to 317 families (924 individuals).