40 years of feeding fort bend...
RRHH was birthed from a meeting of 60 men and women of the Ministerial Alliance (MA) who had met at Calvary Episcopal Church in February of 1985. The MA came together to discuss ways to practically help their neighbors in need. A presentation was given by Candy Johnson of Pearland, TX who had seen a similar community outreach initiative in her own community called Christian Helping Hands. In keeping with the spirit of giving and serving, RRHH adopted the Helping Hands name in its services to the community. The organization quickly grew from that initial idea through the work done by its various board members alongside the first Board President, Mazie Peschel (Leftwich), and volunteer Executive Director, Milton Geick. A year later, a leadership transition welcomed RRHH’s first employed Executive Director, Thomas Hill, who took the reins from Geick. With a limited budget, RRHH’s board members were hands-on in its early years, fulfilling duties by coordinating volunteers, the food pantry, clothes closet, and facilities. The community embraced the service that RRHH provided and supported its efforts.
On June 1, 1985, Rosenberg-Richmond Helping Hands (RRHH) officially opened its doors to serve the west Fort Bend County community. With resources and funding coming from an alliance of 27 covenant churches providing both seed money and in-kind donations, along with 15 volunteer caseworkers, RRHH began its current work of providing food, clothing, and/or financial assistance to local residents with needs. From its original location at 100 S. Eighth Street near downtown Richmond, RRHH, in its first year, assisted around 8,000 people in the community with emergency food, clothing, counseling, rent, and utilities.
Three years later in 1988, RRHH would move to a nearby location at 802 Morton Street in Richmond. The community support continued, with the covenant churches hosting annual food drives to support RRHH’s impact. In February 2008, would eventually break ground on its current location at 902 Collins Street, Richmond. A full move took place a year later in August of 2009 after the completion of the building. 125 volunteers within the community helped the organization with the massive move.
RRHH currently serves its clients with food on a weekly basis, and clothing and other personal care items bi-monthly. Financial assistance may also be provided as funds are available. The organization also provides referrals to other organizations should RRHH not be able to provide a particular service. Today, RRHH provides approximately 87,000 pounds of food and 4,800 pounds of clothing to the nearly 1,400 households it serves on a monthly basis, and is supported by 9 full-time and part-time employees working alongside nearly 90 dedicated weekly (and sometimes daily) volunteers. RRHH continues to grow in its impact in the community servicing about 6,000 individuals across 17 different zip codes and welcoming in an average of around 60 new clients per month. The organization is supported by grants, individual and church contributions, corporate giving, and through fundraising events. It is a member of the Houston Food Bank, where much of its food comes from along with several local grocery stores. Food drives continue to be a staple in providing the necessary in-kind donations, many of which are organized by corporate and local supporters, including various schools in the Lamar Consolidated Independent School District. RRHH continues to look towards growth and providing its services to more residents, especially in light of the tremendous growth that is taking place in Fort Bend County. It is in its early stages of preparing a capital campaign program to expand its facility which is preceded by the purchase of a plot of land behind its current property. RRHH welcomes community members to partner with them through financial contributions, other donations, and volunteering. Annual fundraising events include the Feast on Fashion fashion show and luncheon in June, Soup-er Bingo in the fall.