TEMPLE, Texas — Feed My Sheep, a Temple nonprofit that feeds around 150 homeless people daily, is needing more volunteers so it can expand its services in the city.
Casey Mooney, an operations director who has been with the organization since 2010, said they help homeless individuals reconnect with family, get birth certificates and get counseling for mental illness or drug addiction.
After COVID-19 stuck last year, however, volunteers and counselors have been much harder to find, she said.
"We hope to get some classes going soon. Any kind of counselors if they want to reach out to us we'd love to work with people in the community," Mooney said .
Mooney said Feed My Sheep does have a few people who can help provide services, but they need at least four people in the resource center and right now, they make things work with just two or three.
Mooney said they are also in need of people to volunteer as administrative staff, as the current need in Temple can be overwhelming.
"It's a lot of just talking and listening to people and seeing what the needs are so we know how to accurately help them," Mooney said. "We get so many people in here needing different things that we just need an extra couple people answering the phone and talking to (clients) so that the director of the center can focus on getting things done."
Feed My Sheep also has a women's center called "the well." Mooney said they need volunteers who can act as advocates for those clients and talk with them about their current needs.
The women's center has started a garden with the help of local churches. Mooney hopes to develop that as a resource.
"It's a place where the women can feel safe back here and we'd love to turn it into a nice area for them to relax. We would also like it to be a full functioning garden where it can help the kitchen and the community," Mooney said.
Mooney told 6 News they have received some great help in their kitchen with local church groups but also need more volunteers that can provide a consistent commitment. He said they have around 12 consistent volunteers right now.
Learn more about volunteering at Feed My Sheep here.