Golemon, as the second Food Bank Executive Director began her career part-time March 2003 at the original warehouse on South Frazier, which was just 3,500 square feet, had one small box truck and served 20 pantries. The Food Bank in 2003 distributed approximately 350,000 pounds of food into the County. By contrast, in 2011 the Food Bank distributed approximately 6 million pounds of food filling over 30,000 requests for food per month through 50 pantries that serves all of Montgomery County.

The Food Bank under Golemon’s leadership has grown to be the 11th largest Food Bank in Texas. Once again, the Food Bank has outgrown its current facility and it is in the process of purchasing and constructing a new warehouse.

In 2006, the Food Bank outgrew the original warehouse and moved to its present location which consists of 7,500 square feet of office/warehouse space and 66,000 cubic feet of cold and frozen storage space. The current facility was purchased through a Community Development Block Grant.

Working two half-days a week with the volunteers and one other part-time person in 2003, Golemon has lead the Food Bank to a 5 ½ day a week operation with over 15,000 volunteer hours annually, a list of over 11,000 donors, twenty-two full-time employees and two part-time employees. In addition, The Food Bank has played an integral part in disaster relief during hurricanes Rita and Ike and is a first responder during weather related disasters.

Initially, the only major fundraiser was the Midnight Bike Cruise which took place on a hot summer night in August for nine years in The Woodlands. Since then, the major fundraisers that Golemon has implemented are; “Feeding the Frontier”, which occurs in Montgomery during November; “Feasting On the Frontier Gala, Texas Style”, which will be March 3, 2012; “The Putting Out Hunger Golf Tournament” and “Shooting Out Hunger”.

Other major accomplishments for the Food Bank under Golemon’s tenure as MCFB Executive Director are: member of the Texas Food Bank Network; Partner Distribution Organization of Houston Food Bank; grants awarded for three new refrigerated trucks; the backpack program; mobile pantry program; food fairs; “CanStructure”; grants awarded for three elementary school pantries; and a community garden.

Golemon is a member of the Lake Conroe Chamber; the South Montgomery County Chamber; the East Montgomery County Chamber; the Magnolia Chamber; and the Hispanic Chamber. She is currently on the Board of Directors for the Texas Food Bank Network, the CISD Foundation and the Montgomery County Homeless Coalition. Golemon is a member of, Montgomery County United Way Healthy Living Task Force, the Conroe Rotary Club, and the North Shore Republican Women and she is a Life Member of the Montgomery County Fair Association. Golemon was also a member of Leadership East Montgomery County Class of 2011 that took on the project of the Splendora “Wild Kat Pantry”.

Betty Hardy, cofounder of the Montgomery County Food Bank cried upon hearing of Golemon’s resignation and said that “the Food Bank has grown astronomically under Doris’ direction and will be dearly missed. Her presence and influence made a difference to the hungry in Montgomery County. Montgomery County’s gain is the Food Bank’s loss.”

Golemon concluded: “Being Executive Director of the Montgomery County Food Bank was a very exciting and rewarding position not only for me but for my entire family. What began as a part time job became a love and passion to feed the hungry of Montgomery County”. I look forward to my new position as I continue to serve the citizens of Montgomery County.”

Doris Goleman, executive director of the MCFB, called the festival a success and believes it will have a very positive impact on hunger awareness within Montgomery County.

“The festival is an opportunity to not only promote hunger awareness, but to also promote the history of Montgomery County. This is the birthplace of the Texas Flag after all,” Goleman said.

Although the food donations and monetary contributions were still being tallied at press time, from the look of the food donations alone, Goleman said the festival will definitely help the MCFB provide many meals to many in need.

John Meredith, president of the Lone Star Chapter of The Sons of the Republic of Texas, attended the festival as one of the many volunteers helping to lend historical fun and authenticity.

“Feeding the Frontier is a great way to support the food bank while showing the historic value of Fernland Park,” Meredith said. “And it really brings it alive for the kids.”

According to the Fernland Historical Park website, Fernland Inc. is a not for profit organization that assists the City of Montgomery in relocating historic homes and log cabins to Montgomery to establish a museum and educational center.

Festival volunteers Cotton Rouse and Paul Repko, members of the Commancheros Shootists, said they enjoy reenacting history and capturing the attention of audiences of all ages.

“We get to relive the days of the old west, but safely,” Rouse said.

“I think being able to do it for the kids is especially important,” Repko said. “They get to see what life was like in those days in a way that you can only experience through an event like this.”

“I can tell my daughter is having a lot of fun,” said Robin Arrowsmith, as her toddler-age daughter Emma petted Porky the pig.

Richard Gruen, a member of The Houston Livestock and Rodeo speakers committee, said he was happy to participate because the festival brings focus to a great community need.

“The food bank does a lot for the community,” Gruen said. “This festival is a place to have fun and it’s an opportunity to support your neighbor.”

“Neighbors helping neighbors is what it all comes down to,” Goleman said. “It’s what the food bank is all about.”

The MCFB can support approximately six to seven meals for every single dollar donated, Goleman said.

Go to www.montgomerycountyfoodbank.com to learn more.

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Demonstrations include a blacksmith, basket weaving, wood carving, pottery making, gourd painting and roping. Participants will see costumed decedents of Sons of the Republic, the Daughters of the Republic, and the Sons of the Confederate Veterans. The Lake Conroe Rotary Club will be back again this year, involving kids with painting tiles for Memory Park. There will also be campfires, s’mores and Dutch-oven cooking to add to the fun.

“Feeding the Frontier is during National Hungry and Homeless Week and we hope to raise awareness of the Hungry in our county…our own neighbors”, said Doris Golemon Executive Director of the MCFB. “The Food Bank is receiving more and more requests for food throughout the county. Volunteers currently assemble over 650 backpacks to hungry kids every week in all 6 school districts. Sadly, 1 in 4 kids are food insecure in Montgomery County and do not know when they will eat again. Working families do not have money at the end of the month to feed their family after paying for utility bills, rent, car note, and other required bills. The Food Bank is there to assist. I hope this event brings awareness of the Hungry in Montgomery County”.

Fernland is located in the Buffalo Springs development area on Clepper Street and is home to 4 cabins from the 1800’s that have been restored. Phillip and Holly LeFerve manage Fernland. Inc. as a historic park that provides educational opportunities through the museum and educational center located in the Simonton House. Registration for the 1-mile Woodforest Development Family Hunger Walk will begin at 10:00am, although pre-registration is encouraged to reserve a long-sleeve tee with the logo. Joe Kolb, Chairman of the Conroe Arts Commission and watercolor artist, designed the unique Western logo for the 2011 Feeding the Frontier event.

The Liz Tally Band will perform throughout the day on the Morris Builders main stage. Liz Tally is a native Houstonian with music straight from a Texas Dancehall with twin fiddles and a steel guitar. She grew up playing the drums at the age of 14 and was known as the “Little Drummer Girl from Texas”. Listeners can expect pure country music and honkeytonk from Ms. Tally who was named the Western Swing-Female Vocalist at the Academy of Western Artists Awards.

In addition to the Liz Tally Band, other entertainers include local acoustical musicians, banjo players, fiddlers, dulcimer players, and cowboy poets. Curt Brummett, Fred McMurray, Bret Bowen, and Kenny Lewis will be some of the featured storytellers on the Hulen House stage. The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Speakers Bureau will be in the Children’s area teaching roping and Pioneer games to the kids. New this year is Sahawe Indian Dancers from Uvalde that will perform Indian dances several times during the day. The Sawahe organization is made up of boys ranging from the 5th grade through high school that performs throughout Texas in many festivals as a scouting activity. All their costumes are made by the scouts.

Craig Campobella, the well-known area sculptor of the Texian and the designer of the Montgomery County Lone Star Monument, is organizing local artists from the Conroe Art League and the Lone Star Art Guild to participate; Dave Clements-fine art photography, John Porter-oils of early Texas Missions, Theresa Thornhill with sketches of Fernland, and of course Joe Kolb with watercolors of early Texas.

Food, face-painting, and some activities will incur a cost. McDonald’s of Montgomery is sponsoring the Children’s Area and arm bands will be sold for unlimited use of the inflatables. Pre-cooked briskets can be ordered for $65 by calling the MCFB office at 936.539.6686 and picked up at the event. 

Parking will be available on Clepper Street. Feeding the Frontier is sponsored by Woodforest Development, Morris Builders, McDonald’s of Montgomery, First Bank of Conroe, Richard and Irina Mitchell, and Fun Jumps.
Registration for the 1-Mile Family Walk is available on www.MontgomeryCountyFoodBank.com

About Montgomery County Food Bank
The mission of the Montgomery County Food Bank is “Feed the Hungry of Montgomery County”. As the County’s largest hunger relief charity, the MCFB addresses hunger in all of its forms. Our 50 member agencies fulfill over 30,000 food requests each month, with 40% children and 10% seniors. The MCFB survives on monetary and food donations, grants, and volunteers. It takes approximately 1000 volunteer hours a month to sort, box, and weigh the food for delivery. In 2010 the MCFB distributed nearly 6 million pounds of food and grocery product. To learn how you can support the Montgomery County Food Bank and fight hunger in Montgomery County, call 936.539.6686 or visit our website at www.montgomerycountyfoodbank.com or visit us on Face Book at facebook.com/ Montgomery-County-Food-Bank. Donations may be dropped off at the Food Bank located at 111 South 2nd Street in Conroe.

“This far exceeded our expectations,” said Virgil Yoakum, general manager of Woodforest. “With this being our first year to do this, we had thought there would be about 250 racers. But this was phenomenal. People came out for a good time and to raise money for a great cause. We plan to do this again next year.”
Adding to the day’s fun were dozens of Conroe High School football players, cheerleaders and drill team members dressed in uniform with full zombie make-up, a costume contest, a pumpkin patch, a disc jockey and activity stations for the kids.

“The $5,000 raised during the Monster Dash is equivalent to 35,000 meals,” said Doris Golemon, executive director of the Montgomery County Food Bank. “There could not be a more important time to commit to doing everything we can to fight against hunger as so many of us are still struggling in this recovering economy.”
Woodforest also collected 507 pounds of non-perishable foods for the food bank.

Major event sponsors included Keller Williams Realty-The Woodlands & Magnolia,My Fit Foods, On-Stage Hair Salon, Luke’s Locker, El Chapparo, Apex Signs, Baker 1 Design, Kenneth Lamb Construction and Hasara Land Services.Other Monster Dash sponsors includedHighland Homes, Ryland Homes and Top Gun Realty-Conroe, Ghostbuster level; Jeff Paul Custom Homes, Pierce Pools, Lennar Homes, Newmark Homes, MHI Coventry Homes, LJA Engineering and DarlingHomes, Spooktacular sponsors; Perry Homes, Conroe Pediatric Dental, Lane Galloway-State Farm, TBG, Texas Gas and Tile Connections, Boo-tiful sponsors; Jeff Morris-RE/MAX Integrity, Sweet Treats sponsor; Pierce Pools & Outdoor Visions, goodie bag sponsor; and Candlewood Suites-The Woodlands, prize sponsor.

Conroe, Texas-August 24, 2011 The USDA, for the first time in history, is reporting the highest number of households where children are food insecure at some point during the year. Food insecurity refers to the number of people that did not have access at all times to food or not enough to live a healthy active life. Children are the most vulnerable, as undernourished children cannot learn at school and their brain development is compromised.1 in 5 children in the United States are hungry, 1 in 4 children in Texas are hungry, and 1 in 6 households in Montgomery County do not know when their next meal is or where it will come from.

The poverty rate has been established as an income of $10,800 or less annually. A job paying minimum wage is $14,500 in annual income. The MCFB fills 30,000 requests for food monthly through the partnering 50 pantries. 72% of the people the Food Bank serves earn an annual income of $19,800 for a family of 4. 12,000 or 40% of the requests for food are filled for children.

The MCFB has developed 2 programs to assist child insecurity in our county, Operation Kid Pack (formerly known as the Backpack Program), and the School Pantries.

Operation Kid Pack sends 7-10 pounds of nutritious food home weekly during the school year to the hungriest of the hungry children. Previously in 31 schools, Operation Kid Pack operates in all 6 school districts in the county and has increased 48% to serve 46 schools in the 2011/2012 school year. Operation Kid pack is organized through volunteers who come to the Food Bank weekly and to fill plastic bags with food. Volunteers deliver the packages to the participants’ schools. The schools take the plastic bags and insert them in backpacks for the kids. No one knows the kids have food in the backpacks except for the counselors that identify the “hungriest” of the kids eligible for the program. The backpacks are then returned to school every Monday to start the process again on Friday. It costs $350 a year to sponsor 1 child for the entire school year. Schools that are the most economically disadvantaged are considered first. Leadership Montgomery County Class of 2011 expanded the Backpack Sorting Area to allow a designated area for volunteers, shelving for the food items, and tables to prepare the backpacks.

The School Pantry Program was started in November of 2010 when the Montgomery County Food Bank was awarded a grant through Target and Feeding America for a period of 1 year to start up 2 sites; one in Splendora, and one in Magnolia. Cedric Smith Elementary School is the site in Magnolia and both Greenleaf Elementary School and Peachcreek Elementary School in Splendora are served at the Splendora ISD building. The school pantry sites are available once monthly and are staffed by volunteers consisting of school staff, parents, and clients. They serve approximately 100 families each month with dry goods, and perishables of dairy, bread, produce, and meat products. Leadership East Montgomery County adopted the Splendora School Pantry as their non-profit project for the community. The pantry changed from a temporary mobile pantry to a permanent location with shelving, shopping carts, and a new name, “Wildcat Pantry”.

Feeding America and Target have just announced that the Montgomery County Food Bank is the recipient of the Target FY11 School Pantry Existing Sites grant. This grant will provide the Montgomery County Food Bank with grant funds tosustain the existing sites of School Pantry programs previously funded by Target. The renewal allows 50 additional families to participate in the program if they have a student enrolled in one of the 3 schools. Only 10 Food Banks across the country were awarded the renewal grant through a partnership with Feeding America and Target.

To find out more about participating in the MCFB programs, to donate food or money, or to volunteer call 936.539.6686 or email us through www.MontgomeryCountyFoodBank.com

Conroe, Texas-August 4, 2011 The Montgomery County Food Bank is launching a premier sporting event during Hunger Action Month this September. September is when everyone is asked to take action to fight hunger in their own community all month long. Thursday, September 15th, the MCFB will host Shoot Out Hunger, a sporting clay and skeet shooting tournament, at the Conroe Shooting Center on FM 2854 in Conroe.
This is an opportunity to shoot sporting clays in an urban wilderness environment among the trees while contributing to the battle to end hunger in Montgomery County. Teams of 4 will rotate through the 10 sporting clay stations in a supplied cart located in a 100 acre wooded section behind the Conroe Shooting Center. A meal will be provided with registration.This will be fun event that will get everyone in the mood for cooler weather! "Shootists" can register and get a jump on the hunting season! Registration is open for individuals and teams of 4. Sponsorship packages start at $150 for a Station Sponsor to $3,000 for the Beretta level. For registration information call the MCFB office at 936.539.6686 or go to our website www. MontgomeryCountyFoodBank.com
Thank you for supporting the Montgomery County Food Bank.
It is because of Montgomery County that the Food Bank is able to acquire and distribute food to meet the needs of the hungry during these challenging economic times.

Come spend the day with us outside. Maybe we'll see the first cold front together!

Conroe, Texas-July 22, 2011 The Montgomery County Food Bank has several key events taking place within the next 45 days and wanted to offer notification and the ability to respond.

July 30-The Smurfs Movie
The Grand Theater in Conroe will host a festival with games, face painting, fun-jumps, and prizes for kids. Montgomery County Food Bank will collect food donations. Bring non-perishable food. Free admission to the festival from 2pm-5pm.

September is Hunger Action Month with all food banks affiliated with Feeding America participating. Everyone is asked to take action to fight hunger in their community all month long. Whether it’s by advocating and raising awareness, making donations, or volunteering, individuals can find the way that works for them to make a difference during Hunger Action Month.

The MCFB invites each municipality in Montgomery County to participate in a county-wide food drive to reinforce the commitment to end hunger in our county. The friendly competition will generate public awareness and interest in the fight to end hunger in Montgomery County. The municipality that collects the most food will receive the “Community End Hunger” award. Winner of the Community End Hunger Award will be honored in a press release in October. There could not be a more important time to commit to doing everything we can to fight against hunger as many Texans are still struggling in this recovering economy. 1 in 4 children in Texas is food insecure and does not know where there next meal may be coming from or when the meal will be. The Montgomery County Food Bank distributes to 49 agency pantries throughout Montgomery County to fill 30,000 requests for food monthly. 40% of the requests are children and 10% are elderly on fixed incomes.

An informal kick-off meeting will take place on Monday, August 15th at 10:00AM at the Food Bank, located at 111 s. 2nd Street in Conroe. Details of the Hunger Action Month Food Drive will be discussed and collateral will be available for distribution. A Hunger Action Month Food Drive would be a strong statement showing your commitment to this issue and would encourage other residents and volunteers who so generously make our work possible.

Sept 10-Shred All Event
The community can bring boxes of documents to be shredded to the MCFB. Each box will be a $10 donation. 9am-12noon at 111 S. 2nd Street in Conroe.

Sept 15- Shoot Out Hunger in Montgomery County
Do you crave hunting? Satisfy your appetite with Skeet! Individuals and teams of 4 can sign up for the Shoot Out Hunger event that will be at the Conroe Shooting Club (formerly the Gun Emporium) on FM 2854. The inaugural tournament will start at 8:00am with teams participating in both sporting clays and skeet shooting. Registration includes a catered lunch, awards, and a silent auction. If you haven’t seen the 10 new stations available for sporting clays, you don’t want to miss what owner Emmett Kelly views as a peaceful and beautiful place hidden in Conroe! Sponsorships and registration information available at www.MontgomeryCountyFoodBank.com or call 936.539.6686

Conroe, Texas-May 16, 2011 First Victoria Bank hosted a BBQ fundraiser on Friday, June 17th to benefit the Montgomery County Food Bank. All 3 Montgomery County Banking Centers participated (The Woodlands, Spring, and Magnolia Parkway) by serving BBQ plates to the public. $5,216 was donated or 36,512 meals to help the Hungry in Montgomery County!

Conroe, Texas-May 16, 2011 The Montgomery County Food Bank and Richie’s Specialty Pharmacy are hoping to “Putt Out Hunger” in Montgomery County Friday, June 3 at Woodforest Golf Course off Fish Creek Thoroughfare. Registration includes a 4-person shotgun scramble, mulligans, 50/50 raffle, silent auction with sports memorabilia, an opportunity to win a car with a hole-in-one, and an awards dinner after the tournament.

Diamonds in the Rough, sponsored by Mike Ranc, will bring a collection of memorabilia for the silent auction from notable Texas athletes including Earl Campbell, Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio, and Nolan Ryan. Donated items for the auction also include a handmade wooden icebox decorated with the Texas emblem, gift cards from local restaurants, and artwork from Gallery off the Square. After the golf tournament, players will enjoy a Mexican fajita buffet at the awards reception.

“Hunger continues to be a critical issue in our county," said Doris Golemon, Executive Director of the MCFB. "At a time when we are experiencing challenging economic conditions, it remains unacceptable that so many of our residents, especially our children, continue to go hungry in our county”.

“Summer is the toughest time of year for the MCFB and with hurricane season upon us and the kids out of school, there is a greater need for food and monetary donations. Last summer the Food Bank had such a decline in food donations that volunteers were sent home daily because there wasn’t any food to sort in the warehouse,” said Golemon. As a partner with the Texas Food Bank Network, the MCFB resources other food banks from across the state for purchasing needed food products. Each $1 is the equivalent of 10 pounds of food or 6 meals.

Early registration for the Golf Tournament ends Friday May 20th. Individual rate is $115, and teams of 4 are $400. May 21st individuals will be $125, and teams of 4 are $500. Hurry and sign up by calling the MCFB at 936.539.6686, going on line at www.MontgomeryCountyFoodBank.com or emailing outreach@consolidated.net.

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About Montgomery County Food Bank
The mission of the Montgomery County Food Bank is “Feed the Hungry of Montgomery County”. As the County’s largest hunger relief charity, the MCFB addresses hunger in all of its forms. Our 47 member agencies fulfill over 30,000 food requests each month, which includes 12,000 children and 3,000 seniors. The MCFB survives on monetary and food donations, grants, and volunteers. It takes approximately 600 volunteer hours a month to sort, box, and weigh the food for delivery. In 2010, the MCFB distributed nearly 6 million pounds of food and grocery product. To learn how you can support the Montgomery County Food Bank and fight hunger in Montgomery County, call 936.539.6686 or visit our website at www.montgomerycountyfoodbank.com or visit us on Face Book at facebook.com/ Montgomery-County-Food-Bank. Donations may be dropped off at the Food Bank located at 111 South 2nd Street in Conroe.