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Daily Newspaper and Travel Guide
for Pecos Country of West Texas
Top Stories
Friday, December 6, 2002
With economy down, food banks' needs go up
By JENNIFER GALVAN
Staff Writer
PECOS, Friday, Dec. 6, 2002 -- As the Christmas holiday draws closer, the
Santa Rosa de Lima Catholic Church is asking for people to give can
food or monetary donations to assist them with providing other in need.
Those in need in the Pecos area are higher this year, following the closing
of the Anchor Foods plant in Pecos back in May. The plant has reopened under
the TransPecos Foods banner, but with about 450 fewer employees than were
there in December of 2001. The change has increased the area's unemployment
rate from below 7 percent to over 20 percent this fall.
According to Father Ben Flores, the Santa Rosa Food Bank is looking for
meat items such a poultry, fish, brisket, turkey and ham.
Flores said that they try to provide people with these meat items so that
they may also celebrate the holidays in a special way.
"They are no different then us during the holidays," he said.
Because they have freezers to store the meat in he also said that they
would like to have meat to give all year round. They also have refrigerators
to help store milk and juices for small children.
Volunteers of the food bank, Yvette Romo and Estella Lira both said that
they tend to run out of rice, bean, flour and sugar more often due to the
fact that they distribute these items to all of the house holds.
"Everyone gets those items," Romo said.
Flores said that though they are strictly seeking food items they are
accepting baby items such as diapers.
"Baby items are very expensive," Flores said. "They are in high demand
all year around."
The people seeking such items are young single mothers, Flores said.
Flores added that the food they are given comes from donations and canned
food drives during the Thanksgiving holidays. He said that the food bank
is not funded by government funds.
"We accept monetary donations," Flores said. "With money we receive are
able to buy food."
The food that is purchased for the food bank comes from the regional food
bank in Odessa, Flores said.
"The food bank in Odessa supplies us with everything when they have it
in stock," Flores said.
Though the food bank is based out of the Santa Rosa de Lima Catholic Church
in Pecos, Flores and his volunteers said that they would service everyone
and anyone regardless of religious denomination.
"We service people from Balmorhea, Coyanosa, Saragosa, Toyah, Barstow
and Pecos," Lira said.
"We service people regardless of race, creed, religion, non-residents
of Pecos and non-believers," Flores said.
Along with the Santa Rosa Food Bank, other local food banks are operated
through the North Temple Baptist Church, and the Church of Christ.
Kenneth Winkles, a member of the North Temple Baptist Church, said that
their food bank, which is open every two weeks, has run out of items at times.
"We have had to turn people away because we have run out of boxes to give
out," Winkles said.
According to Winkles the number of people coming to request food baskets
has grown since their food bank began.
"When we started we budgeted $54,000," Winkles said. "That would be 45
boxes every two weeks."
Though they did not turn way anyone this time and gave 145 boxes, Winkles
said that it is three times of what they originally budgeted for.
Winkles said that the some of the people are between the ages of 65 through
80 years of age.
"We need to make the town aware that there is an older population here
in Pecos," Winkles said. "And some of them have a though time getting along."
Winkles also said that though North Temple has run out of items, he said
that he is not asking for donations just of his parish but rather for all
three parishes.
Flores also said that everyone needs to remember that people are hungry
all year round and not just during the holidays.
Winkles also said that 211,000 poundS of food were given way to the people
of Pecos this year.
Flores said that he would like to team up with the Church of Christ and
North Temple Baptist Church and create one food bank that will cover the
West Texas area.
"By creating one food bank we will not be spreading ourselves thin or
overlap," Flores said.
He added that it just did not make any sense to have several food banks
that ask for donations from the same people.
With the one food bank, Flores said that they would be able to also provide
people with cloth.
Flores said that he would like to thank everyone who has shared their
goods.
"We are just grateful to the support that has been given to the food bank,
for the volunteers and the donations," Flores said.
He also said that they would be willing to pick up any items that people
may want to donate.
Flores said that anyone wanting to know more about what they could donate
to the food bank could do so by calling the Santa Rosa Church Office or the
food bank.
Anyone wanting to know more about the North Temple Baptist Church Food
Bank may contact Kenneth Winkles.
The hours of the food bank at Santa Rosa are Wednesdays and Fridays from
9 a.m. till 2 p.m.
Commissioners to discuss medical, phone contracts
PECOS, Friday, Dec. 6, 2002 -- Reeves County Commissioners will consider
proposals for physicians and dental services, along with a telephone system
contract and insurance premiums for the county's law enforcement and public
officials during their regular meeting, set for 9:30 a.m. Monday in the third
floor courtroom of the Reeves County Courthouse.
Along with the physicians and dental services, commissioners will also
study proposals for medical lab and X-ray services, and pharmaceutical services
during their meeting, and consider a number of other items related to construction
of the Reeves County Detention Center III project.
Those include two payment requests from LMD Architect, two others from
Frank Spencer and Associates along with a contract for additional services,
and a dozen requests for payment items from Carouthers Construction and other
sub-contractors and suppliers involved with a 960-bed construction project.
Also on the agenda is discussion of a Xerox copy machine lease for the
Reeves County Juvenile Detention Center, bids on inmate food and kitchen
supplies, inmate clothing and bedding, county asphalt/emulsion supplies,
motor fuel and oil, janitorial supplies and employee uniforms; a agreement
between the county and CORRPOR Waterworks Co.
Personnel and salary changes at the RCDC, sheriff's department, Reeves
County Golf Course and the community recreation department will also be discussed,
along with transportation crew mileage payments and reports from various
departments.
Emergency workers want house numbers improved
PECOS, Friday, Dec. 6, 2002 -- The Pecos Police Department and local emergency
service personnel are asking local residents to help cut down on response
time to people needing emergency assistance by improving the visibility of
house numbers from the street.
Officer Helen Vernon with the Pecos Police Department asks that residents
put up house numbers at least five inches tall and three inches in width
on their homes, and make sure the numbers contrast with the color of the
home for better visibility. The numbers should be near the front door area
and not be obscured by hanging plants or bushes.
Residents are urged to check their house numbers at night to verify they
are visible, and to also place house numbers on the outside of backyard fences,
so that emergency crews in alleyways will be able to identify the correct
home.
Christmas parade, lighting ceremony tonight
PECOS, Friday, Dec. 6, 2002 -- The annual Pecos Christmas Parade will
begin at 6 p.m. tonight outside Pecos High School, and will be followed by
the lighting of the Reeves County Courthouse at about 7 p.m. this evening.
The parade will travel from the high school north on Eddy Street and then
east on Third to Oak Street, where it will turn south and go one block to
the courthouse. Santa will also be in the parade and at the courthouse for
the lighting ceremony.
Line up for parade floats will begin at 5 p.m. in the PHS band hall parking
lot. Floats will also be judged, with the winning entry earning $100.
Weather
PECOS, Friday, Dec. 6, 2002 -- High Thurs. 45. Low this morning 37. Forecast
for tonight: Mostly clear. Lows 30 to 35. SE winds 5 to 10 mph. Sat.y:
Partly cloudy and warmer. Highs 60 to 65. SW winds 5 to 15 mph. Sat.
night: Partly cloudy. Lows 30 to 35. Sun.: Cloudy and colder with a
chance of rain. The rain may mix with or change to snow. Highs 40 to
45. The chance of precipitation is 50 percent. Mon.: Mostly cloudy
with a slight chance of rain or snow. Lows 25 to 30. Highs near 40.
Obituary
Esteban de la Rosa
Pecos Enterprise
York M. "Smokey" Briggs, Publisher
Division of Buckner News Alliance, Inc.
324 S. Cedar St., Pecos, TX 79772
Phone 915-445-5475, FAX 915-445-4321
e-mail news@pecos.net
Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium.
Copyright 2002 by Pecos Enterprise
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