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NACOGDOCHES, Texas (KTRE) - Food pantries across East Texas are helping more and more people, which can sometimes be a struggle. The HOPE Food Pantry in Nacogdoches has seen an increase in clients and are making finding limitations on the items that they can offer their clients.

“We used to have baking mix. Well, we didn’t have baking mix to order two weeks ago and so now they have the choice of corn muffin mix. It just depends on what’s available and cost efficient for us,” Deidra Harrison, the president of the pantry’s board, said.

So far this year, in comparison to 2023, the pantry has seen a 28% increase in clients.

“We were pretty surprised at how many people were hungry, and so we have been able to help them in that way, it has been a really cool way to help a tangible need,” Lindsey McDonald, a member of the Fredonia Hill Baptist church, said.

McDonald is an outreach volunteer at the church. She delivers food to families from the pantry and said her church delivers to at least 20 homes.

The pantry allows clients to come once a week to get food. With this weekly program, an increase in food prices, and a limited stock from the East Texas Food Bank, it has made them thrifty when it comes to purchasing food.

“We try to limit our budget and get what’s most needed,” Harrison said. “Green beans are $4.96 a case as opposed to another green bean that’s $17 for 12 cans we go with the smaller. It would be nice for us to purchase a more expensive vegetable but it’s just not feasible for us to do that.”

The pantry does see some relief through donations that come from organizations in the community. Most of the time it is the food they are not able to purchase themselves.