Community
BY ETHAN THOMAS
During times of economic instability, families—or neighbors, as the New Braunfels Food Bank calls them—can take advantage of a client-choice pantry to better cater the assistance they receive to their individual needs. The Kitchen Table operates as a client-choice pantry, where community members can choose specic groceries they may need, rather than pre-made bags of produce. For neighbors who would like to use the client-choice pantry, NBFB requires an in-person application process for rst- time users. A table set by the national Emergency Food Assistance Program, or EFAP, is used by the food bank to determine a family’s need, according to the website. Clients who have already qualied for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP; Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children; or similar programs will automatically be approved to receive benets. If a neighbor makes more than allotted by EFAP but is experiencing an emergent need for assistance, they may still qualify, NBFB Executive Director Monica Borrego-Jones said. Upon approval, neighbors will typically arrive at a scheduled appointment where they will be guided through the pantry, which has shelves stocked with canned goods, proteins, dairy and sweets. Food pantry helps neighbors in need
Measuring the impact
Items worth mentioning
Donations to the food bank are always needed. Community members are encouraged to drop o food donations at the food bank, but for those who can only help monetarily, Borrego-Jones said that can go just as far. “Any dollar that is donated to us, we can turn into 10 pounds of food or seven meals. So we’re really looking to try to increase the amount of donations that we get right now,” Borrego-Jones said. The pantry can serve about 70 neighbors per day. Outside of The Kitchen Table, the food bank can serve more than 300 families through its pre- made bags, handed out to some families through its drive-thru program, according to its website.
A 43-day government shutdown tem- porarily halted the disbursement of SNAP benets to families across the country, raising the need for services provided by NBFB. A continuing resolution was passed Nov. 14 to extend the funding of SNAP ben- ets until January, as previously reported by Community Impac t. A pop-up had previously appeared on the food bank’s website, linking to a webpage with resources for families whose benets may have been aected by the government shutdown. On average, the food bank registers about 14 families a day for The Kitchen Table, equating to about 321 families for a normal month. In October 2025, the month before disbursements were set to end, the food bank saw an almost 25% increase in registrations, totaling about 400 families, Borrego-Jones said. “We have noticed a rapid increase in new families coming to the New Braunfels Food Bank, with government paychecks being unpaid and SNAP cuts becoming a reality,” Borrego-Jones said in an email to Community Impact . There are some days when we have registered as many as 32 fam- ilies for our services. This is more than double what a typical day looks like for us.”
NBFB volunteers load pre-made bags of produce for community members in need.
ETHAN THOMASCOMMUNITY IMPACT
How to help
The Kitchen Table hours of operation The Kitchen Table o ers a client-choice pantry, where community members can choose specic groceries they may need, according to NBFB.
Aside from monetary and food donations, the food bank has several opportunities for those with a little time on their hands. Volunteers can assist in the stocking of shelves in The Kitchen Table, loading pre- made bags to hand to families in the drive- thru, working in the 38-bed community garden, or other administrative duties like data entry, donation acceptance and front desk operations, according to the food bank’s website. Volunteers can register online at the food bank’s volunteer portal, choose which opportunity they would like to give time to and schedule what day and time works for them.
Income to qualify The EFAP income table helps the New Braunfels Food Bank determine need for assistance, according to NBFB.
Day
Morning
Afternoon
Household size
Monthly income $2,096 $2,823 $3,551 $4,279 $5,006 $5,734 $6,462 $7,189
Annual income $25,142 $33,874 $42,606 $51,338 $60,070 $68,802 $77,534 $86,266
Monday
9–11 a.m. (Seniors only) 1:30-3 p.m.
1
Tuesday
9–11 a.m.
1:30-3 p.m.
2 3 4 5 6
Wednesday Thursday and Friday
9-11 a.m.
1:30–3 p.m.
9–11 a.m.
None
*1st and 3rd Saturday of each month
Saturday*
1:30-3 p.m.
7
SOURCE: NEW BRAUNFELS FOOD BANKCOMMUNITY IMPACT NOTE: PARENTS OF INFANTS 1 OR YOUNGER TAKE PRIORITY ON THURSDAYS.
8
SOURCE: NEW BRAUNFELS FOOD BANKCOMMUNITY IMPACT
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NEW BRAUNFELS EDITION
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