Nearly 50 volunteers from the Order of Malta donate their time to make sure families in need in Fort Bend County receive nutritious food through the monthly food fairs at Mamie George Community Center.
On Saturday at the Mamie George Community Center, dozens of energetic volunteers sort through boxes of nutritious food to prepare for families in need. They are members of the Order of Malta, a 900-year-old Catholic lay-religious order that focuses on defending the faith and serving the sick and poor.
Each month, MGCC holds a food fair for low income families from Fort Bend County. The Order of Malta, about 60 Knights and Dames, first partnered with MGCC to support food fairs in 2011, and quickly discovered that they needed reinforcements as the population of clients grew. Catholic Charities recruited 40 to 50 additional volunteers, many of them enthusiastic high school students seeking opportunity to serve the community.
MGCC receives produce from the Houston Food Bank – nearly 20,000 pounds of fresh fruit and vegetables for families who come to the center for food assistance. Because the Order of Malta focuses on providing a balanced diet, they prefer to send families home with protein as well. The Food Bank supplies protein on a more sporadic basis, so the Order began providing funds to make it a more consistent part of the food fair.
Just in 2017, the Order donated $20,000 to MGCC for this purpose, in addition to donating funds for two construction projects.
Catholic Charities is grateful for the support of the Order of Malta and other volunteers who do God’s work for the poor and the sick!