Kathryn needed help.
That is why she recently walked through the doors of Operation Blessing in Cleburne. At about the same time, Chesapeake Energy was presenting a truck to the venerable operation that has helped the needy and distraught in Johnson County for 29 years.
“Today, I need food and clothing,” said Kathryn, 59, who is disabled, unemployed and, like so many others, suffering in this bad economy. “This place here is real sweet. The people here are precious. They serve the community, they help the people,” she said.
Food bank at Operation Blessing
Chesapeake feels the same way, and that is why it contributed $11,000 towards the $14,800 needed for the program to get a better truck to pick up and deliver food, clothing and other items for those in need. Local churches and area residents paid the remaining balance.
“We’re so grateful. This is a blessing,” said Gloria Jones, Founder and Executive Director of Operation Blessing.
Indeed, it’s the people of Johnson County who feel blessed for what Jones, her husband Dean, and about 30 volunteers are doing at Operation Blessing to provide for and counsel the poor and hurting.
“It’s an amazing operation,” said Cleburne Attorney John MacLean, a former District Attorney and District Judge in Johnson County who sits on Operation Blessing’s Board of Directors.
Each box of food is rationed to feed a family of four.
The program, which is affiliated with the United Way of Johnson County and other charitable organizations, began in 1980 behind Gloria and Dean Jones’ Christian bookstore on Cleburne’s Main Street. It has since grown, moving to its current, larger location, donated by Eastern Heights Church in 1994.
Despite the continued generosity from the community, the sliding economy has caused pledges to drop considerably, while at the same time more people are turning to Operation Blessing for help. Contributions are expected to be down $36,000 from a year ago, Gloria Jones said, “So God needs to open doors for us.”
On an average week, more than 60 needy families show up at Operation Blessing -- many of them with young children in tow – to receive help, hope, encouragement and in many cases, advice on how to receive decent medical care. Last year, the program helped more than 23,600 people.
“If they want prayer, we pray with them. If they don’t, that’s fine, too,” Jones said.
Not long after Kathryn showed up at Operation Blessing, 55-year-old Jimmy walked in, appearing fatigued. During better days, he worked as a roofer. But on this day he was jobless, broke and hungry.
“I was thinking about getting me a little bit of food,” Jimmy said as he sat down in a waiting area, knowing he would receive what he came for. “This place,” he said with a nod of appreciation, “does real good for people.”