The nonprofit provides daily meals, showers and access to resources for Midland\u2019s most vulnerable residents.<\/p>\n
MIDLAND, Texas \u2014 The holidays are often a time of celebration, but for many in Midland, the season brings added hardship as the cost of living rises and stable housing remains out of reach.<\/p>\n
For 47-year-old Jacklynn Watson, finding food, shelter and a sense of belonging is a daily challenge. Watson is homeless and stays at the Salvation Army at night, but during the day she relies on Breaking Bread Kitchen for meals and support.<\/p>\n
\u201cI come here five days a week because we have nowhere to go during the day,\u201d Watson said.<\/p>\n
Breaking Bread Kitchen has become a lifeline for Watson, offering more than just food. The nonprofit provides daily meals, showers and access to resources for Midland\u2019s most vulnerable residents.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlthough they are not biologically your family, they are still your family,\u201d Watson said. \u201cThey care for you, make sure you are comfortable, taken care of. I love their dinners at night. It is always a variety.\u201d<\/p>\n
Watson\u2019s experience reflects a growing need in the community. Breaking Bread Kitchen serves more than 200 meals every day, according to Executive Director Shirley Almanza, and demand continues to rise as inflation stretches household budgets.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur families with kids are up by 20 percent,\u201d Almanza said. \u201cWe are doing more families than in the past.\u201d<\/p>\n
The latest Midland Point-in-Time Count estimates that about 300 people in the city are experiencing homelessness. Most are staying in shelters, while 61 are living on the streets.<\/p>\n
During the holiday season, Breaking Bread Kitchen focuses not only on meeting basic needs, but also on creating a sense of connection for those who may feel isolated.<\/p>\n
\u201cThose that are alone during Christmas and alone in life, it gives them a sense of family, belonging and unity,\u201d Almanza said. \u201cThey love coming together just for the food, but as a community.\u201d<\/p>\n
As the need continues to grow, the nonprofit is asking for help from the community. Breaking Bread Kitchen is seeking donations and canned goods, with a particular need for canned meats, to help ensure no one goes hungry during the holidays and beyond.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The nonprofit provides daily meals, showers and access to resources for Midland\u2019s most vulnerable residents. MIDLAND, Texas \u2014…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":355363,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[4,450,451,3,452,453],"class_list":{"0":"post-355362","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-breaking-news","8":"tag-breaking-news","9":"tag-breakingnews","10":"tag-headlines","11":"tag-news","12":"tag-top-stories","13":"tag-topstories"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/355362","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=355362"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/355362\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/355363"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=355362"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=355362"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=355362"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}