Eastside Ministries
An estimated 50K worth of damages is the result of an intentionally lit fire at the Eastside Ministries facility at 5929 E. Lancaster Ave. that occurred on November 28, 2023.
This is where Rev. Denise Blakely, grants administrator for Eastside Ministries, says surveillance cameras caught a male suspect intentionally starting the fire that left the ministries’ food pantry in shambles.
Upon hearing about the news of this destruction, Texas Health awarded a $10,000 grant to this Fort Worth nonprofit organization to help offset costs associated with the recent fire, according to a release.
“We were disappointed to learn about the fire and hope these funds will help the organization move forward from this setback,” David Tesmer, chief community and public policy officer for Texas Health says.
But this isn’t the first time Texas Health has stepped up to help the Eastside Ministries. Since 2019, Texas Health has awarded two grants – one for $215,000 and the other $954,000 – to support and expand Eastside Ministries’ Railroad Project, a program for low-income adults that provides high blood pressure and diabetes screening, food, clothing, and mental health counseling with a goal of increasing their self-efficacy.
“Eastside Ministries and the Railroad Project program have had a profound impact on improving the lives of east Fort Worth residents, and Texas Health has been a proud supporter of those efforts,” Tesmer says.
Since the fire, the Fort Worth Fire Department’s arson investigations unit has arrested a suspect in connection with the case, officials confirm.
As for the next steps for the Eastside Ministries, Blakely verifies that the grant funding will go a long way to helping rebuild the food pantry area.
“We had about a week’s worth of pity party. It hurt. It was a gut punch, but after we wiped our tears away, we realized the need was still there,” Blakely says. As for the recent grant donation from Texas Health, Blakely says “We are so grateful that we don’t have the words, other than ‘thank you.’”
But Texas Health was only one of many donors to come to the aid of this local 501(c) 3. A few local grocery stores also sent donations to the Eastside Ministries, which was used quickly to resume providing food to those in need until their own pantry can be rebuilt.
“We’ve started the rebuilding process and we’re hoping that by the end of March, we’ll be fully up and running again,” Blakely says.
Anyone interested in learning more about or donating to Eastside Ministries can do so online at www.eastsidecommunityassistance.org, or by calling 817-446-3278.
