While Bastrop County residents were left largely on their own by the county to contend with last week s harsh winter weather conditions and utility outages, Pastor Roland Nava left the doors to his ministry wide open for those in need of a warm place to rest.
Nava is the pastor at In The Streets Hands Up High Ministry, at 987 Texas 95 N in Bastrop.
When outside temperatures dip below freezing, the ministry which also provides an emergency family shelter for people experiencing homelessness with children and housing for veterans experiencing homelessness offers a “Shelter of Grace” for those who need warmth.
The line of cars outside the Lost Pines Toyota dealership in Bastrop on Friday morning consistently numbered nearly two dozen vehicles of all makes and models.
Stretched in a line across the dealership’s front parking lot, the cars inched toward the front, where Pastor Roland Nava of the In The Streets Hands Up High Ministry (ITSHUH) and dealership owner Carlos Liriano were waiting along with Salvation Army workers and Lost Pines Toyota employees to give food boxes to residents in need.
Each car and the people in it were greeted with a smile, before the reason for their visit arrived: Bags and boxes full of food donations that were loaded onto backseats and trunks, providing Bastrop area residents who are struggling financially during the coronavirus pandemic with their next meals.