Feeding a Community Need

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Feeding a Community Need

Rick and Coni Aguirre with their daughters Erika and Emily are the founders and operators of Emily’s Meals. (Courtesy)
Rick and Coni Aguirre with their daughters Erika and Emily are the founders and operators of Emily’s Meals. (Courtesy)

Emily’s Meals is an organization dedicated to feeding 40 people every day. And it all started with the innocent question of a 6-year-old girl. 

Emily and her father Rick Aguirre went to the grocery store one normal afternoon. As they were leaving, Emily saw her first homeless person. Her dad took this moment to teach her about the act of charity, so they bought a meal and gave it to the homeless man. Emily then looked over and asked her dad, “What can we do?” 

A local volunteer delivers a sack lunch to a person in need. (Courtesy)
A local volunteer delivers a sack lunch to a person in need. (Courtesy)

They went home and thought Emily would soon move on, as most 6-year-old kids do. What they didn’t realize though, was that this small lesson had truly stuck. She continued asking how they could help and wanted to know what could be done to help those people that didn’t have the basics.

“I really couldn’t believe that someone could be homeless. I wanted to do anything I could to try and help them,” said Emily. 

This was happening right around the time of Lent, so the family took on a Lenten project. They would feed 40 homeless people in 40 days. Little did they know, their small family project would soon grow into an operation that now feeds 40 people almost every day of the year. 

Through their small project, they realized that there were so many more people in need, and that there was so much more that they could do with just a little effort. As their friends and family heard what they were doing, more and more people wanted to help. So Emily’s Meals was born. 

Local volunteers come together to provide services the homeless need, such as a haircut. (Courtesy)
Local volunteers come together to provide services the homeless need, such as a haircut. (Courtesy)

Food & So Much More

Although the primary focus is always about the food, Emily’s Meals has grown to encompass so much more than that. Coni Aguirre, Emily’s mother, said, “We try to help these people as our friends. We get to know them, we provide what we can, and we work to help them get back on their feet.” 

In doing that, Emily’s Meals has provided not just food, but also clothing, toiletries and other basic necessities. Through the help of a generous donor, they have also been able to build a custom shower trailer. This trailer gives the opportunity for a nice shower and clean change of clothes. 

In addition to daily necessities, Coni and Rick, along with several of the other volunteers, work with local homeless advocates and organizations to help these people get back on their feet. They have helped some find housing and helped others find jobs. 

Coni said, “We don’t ask any questions, we don’t pressure, we don’t try to solve their problems and most of all we don’t judge. We just offer a meal and an ear.”

Emily’s Meals now hosts their community picnics at First United Methodist Church McAllen. During these picnics, their homeless friends have the opportunity to shower, collect toiletries, choose some new clothes and have a nice homecooked meal. (Courtesy)
Emily’s Meals now hosts their community picnics at First United Methodist Church McAllen. During these picnics, their homeless friends have the opportunity to shower, collect toiletries, choose some new clothes and have a nice homecooked meal. (Courtesy)

Community Involvement

As more people began to learn about Emily’s Meals, it became apparent that there was more opportunity to provide even more if people were willing. A local women’s group from First United Methodist Church in McAllen began a recycled mat project. They used plastic shopping bags and wove them together to create a sleeping mat that was sturdy, reusable and provided a bit of comfort on the streets. 

Peggy Trom spearheaded this initiative and said about its beginning, “We had Boy Scout troops, Girl Scout troops, people from our church, people from Emily’s Meals … just a ton of volunteers. We all came together to learn how to make these with the goal of making one for every one of our homeless friends.”

After spending months weaving and completing sleeping mats, Trom soon realized that her group could do even more. “We told Emily’s Meals that we were committing to making meals for November and December 2017. After that we would regroup and decide if we wanted to move forward. Well, that was two years ago and we’re still going strong!”

A core group of about eight, along with several more volunteers, has become a regular on the Emily’s Meal calendar. They work to cook and pack meals and deliver them three times a month. 

Trom’s FUMC group is just one of the many groups that come together to keep the Emily’s Meals calendar fully booked each and every month.

Future Plans

Emily says that she would love to be able to open a shelter of her own someday soon. She envisions a building which can serve as a place where people can go to get the help and services they need. A place where they can sleep, eat, take a shower and get whatever other help they may be in search of. 

The family says that the primary focus of Emily’s Meals, which is to feed 40 people each and every day, is never going to change. Coni says, “You know that meal made a difference. You know that meal means the world to them. Deep down, that’s what we were meant to do … to feed the homeless.”

Tables of clothing, shoes, blankets and other supply donations at the semi-annual Emily’s Meals picnic. (Courtesy)
Tables of clothing, shoes, blankets and other supply donations at the semi-annual Emily’s Meals picnic. (Courtesy)

Thinker…Creator…Doer. Beth is passionate about life, learning, and all things creative. She has known from an early age that she had a love for journalism and media and spent her time in high school and college as part of the school yearbook, newspaper, and television station. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from the University of Texas Pan-American and immediately went on to earn her Master of Arts in Advertising from the University of Texas at Austin. Beth has 15+ years working in all aspects of the media industry including: client services, graphic design, media creation for print, web, and television, and sales. Yet, she constantly strives to become more knowledgeable and accomplished within the field she loves. Aside from work, she has an active life she truly enjoys. With her husband, she owns her own business in which she uses her creativity to design and sell party printables as well as build, refinish, and paint wood items such as door hangers, decorations, and furniture. She also spends time with her family, husband, two daughters and sweet animals. A few of the things she loves… reading, purple, butterflies, the beach, chocolate, flowers, animals, good quotes, roller coasters and Chinese food.

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