By Barbara Davis | Staff Writer
The Southeast Texas Food Bank is expanding its footprint, as they continue to serve eight area counties, with the creation of its second distribution center, soon to open in Jasper.
Located on U.S. Highway 190, the J.H. Rowe Resource Center will serve the region during major storm events by allowing food bank staff to conduct operations as an alternate distribution point should the main hub on Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. in Beaumont be damaged, inaccessible or simply overwhelmed.
Not only does the Beaumont location currently serve the entire eight-county region but, since 2021, the mobile pantry program has served more than 5,000 families between 25 sites primarily located in the northern counties of Sabine, Tyler, Polk, Jasper and Newton. The J.H. Rowe Resource Center will allow the Southeast Texas Food Bank to pool resources closest to the need, and distribute them efficiently to residents of Jasper, Newton, Tyler and Sabine counties from the 68,000-square-foot resource center.
“Many thanks to Harvey Zernial and the board members of the Southeast Texas Food Bank, Diane Rashall and the board members of the Jasper-Newton Counties Public Health District, Superintendent John Seybold and the Jasper ISD school board trustees, the Jasper County and Newton County Commissioners Courts, Eddie Hopkins and JEDCO and the T.L.L. Temple Foundation for working together to bring the J.H. Rowe Resource Center one step closer to reality,” said Jasper County Judge Mark Allen, who also serves on the board of the Southeast Texas Food Bank.
Allen said that, during Hurricane Harvey, a lot of distribution points were trapped, and this new location will allow for a continued nutrition-based partnership.
During non-emergent times, the J.H. Rowe Resource Center will also serve as the primary office for the Jasper-Newton Counties Public Health District, providing a full range of medical services for families and their children, as well as immunizations and nutritional education.
These resources also include primary care appointments, free mammograms for women age 18 to 64 without sufficient health insurance, and free STD (sexually-transmitted disease) and STI (sexually-transmitted infection) testing.
“There are plans underway for additional agencies that will provide essential services for families in Jasper County and the Southeast Texas region at this new site, which will fulfill the goals of all the participating agencies to obtain better health, nutrition and more opportunities to improve their quality of life. In the event of an emergency, the resource center will be prepared to assist evacuees from surrounding communities,” Allen added.