{"id":292744,"date":"2025-10-10T19:46:10","date_gmt":"2025-10-10T19:46:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/292744\/"},"modified":"2025-10-10T19:46:10","modified_gmt":"2025-10-10T19:46:10","slug":"free-pop-up-grocery-stores-in-houston-offer-fresh-food-to-families-in-need","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/292744\/","title":{"rendered":"Free pop-up grocery stores in Houston offer fresh food to families in need"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Instead of being thrown away, thousands of pounds of fresh food from Houston grocery stores are finding their way to families who need it most.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 kNAFkD cuqaEv article-text\">Through <a href=\"https:\/\/www.click2houston.com\/topic\/Second_Servings\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/www.click2houston.com\/topic\/Second_Servings\/\">Second Servings<\/a>\u2019 partnership with places like the YMCA, free pop-up grocery stores are helping families stretch their budgets and reduce food waste at the same time.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">This week at the Brenda and John Duncan Family YMCA, volunteers and staff worked together to unload boxes of produce, meats, and pantry staples.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 kDvXdO font_openSans articleList\">\n<li class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__StackBase-sc-1fnzlkn-7 ecGWWE iQviKm\"\/><\/ul>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 kNAFkD cuqaEv article-text\">\u201cWe have an assortment of amazing food to give away,\u201d said Amber Chestnut, marketing representative with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.click2houston.com\/topic\/Second_Servings\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/www.click2houston.com\/topic\/Second_Servings\/\">Second Servings<\/a>. \u201cAll of this food was donated by our grocery store partners, such as Trader Joe\u2019s, Kroger, and many others. Without our help, these groceries might have just been discarded. Instead of feeding landfills, we\u2019re feeding people.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Families attending the pop-up grocery events can save $50 to $150 on groceries, freeing up money for other important needs such as rent, transportation, or medical bills.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Second Servings rescues perishable food from more than 450 Houston-area businesses and redistributes it through a network of 150 nonprofit partners, including community centers, YMCAs, and senior living facilities. Since 2015, the nonprofit has rescued more than $130 million worth of unsold or unserved food, helping to nourish about 250,000 food-insecure Houstonians each year.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">\u201cThe need is growing,\u201d Chestnut said. \u201cBetween rising costs of living, SNAP cuts, and other challenges, families are struggling more than ever. Especially here in Houston, our neighbors really need the help. We\u2019re doing our best to connect all that abundance to the people who need care.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">The organization\u2019s work has become increasingly vital in a city where 39 percent of households face financial hardship, according to research from Rice University\u2019s Kinder Institute for Urban Research.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">What started as a food distribution event has become a highlight of the month for YMCA staff and volunteers who see firsthand the difference it makes.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 kDvXdO font_openSans articleList\">\n<li class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__StackBase-sc-1fnzlkn-7 ecGWWE iQviKm\"\/><\/ul>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">\u201cAt our core, we\u2019re an organization that just wants to help people. Once a month, our volunteers come together to unload the trucks, lend a hand, and make sure families can pick up the food they need,\u201d YMCA Executive Director Ricky Hernandez said. <\/p>\n<p>How to get help<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">If you or someone you know could use a hand, Second Servings hosts 40 to 50 pop-up grocery stores each month across the Greater Houston area. Some pop-up grocery events are open to the public, while others serve specific communities or partner organizations. Participants can check upcoming dates and registration details on the Second Servings website before attending.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Upcoming opportunities to get involved include the HCU Football Game Food Drive on October 11 and Stuff the Van with Whole Foods Market on October 21 at 10:30 a.m.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 kNAFkD cuqaEv article-text\">For more information or to find a pop-up grocery store near you, visit <a href=\"\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\">secondservingshouston.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Copyright 2025 by KPRC Click2Houston &#8211; All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Instead of being thrown away, thousands of pounds of fresh food from Houston grocery stores are finding their&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":292745,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5130],"tags":[149921,149919,4345,149920,149918,358,3187,23951],"class_list":{"0":"post-292744","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-houston","8":"tag-brenda-and-john-duncan-family-ymca","9":"tag-free-food","10":"tag-houston","11":"tag-houston-ymca","12":"tag-second-servings","13":"tag-texas","14":"tag-tx","15":"tag-ymca"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115351597271398370","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/292744","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=292744"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/292744\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/292745"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=292744"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=292744"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=292744"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}