By PAMELA GRANT
Cove Leader-Press
It isn’t easy to ask for help, and with Friday’s Market with a Mission held at the Copperas Cove Civic Center, it wasn’t necessary,
D&S Cuddling Critters partnered with the Central Texas Food Bank to provide free food for those in need—no paperwork or ID required.
Sarah Herrera and Dana Wall, co-founders of D&S Cuddling Critters, created Market with a Mission as a “community-centered hybrid event” to help the community by providing free food, but to also promote local vendors, organizations, and nonprofits,
Herrera said that this was their fourth Market with a Mission. They held one in October, November, December, and January. For their first event, they had about 400 pounds of food to give away. For Friday’s event, they had about 2,400 pounds of food.
Herrera said that D&S Cuddling Critters just started between “two country girls sitting on their front porch” before expanding into what it is today. D&S Cuddling Critters offers mobile therapy with livestock such as goats, chickens, and ducks. They visit senior living facilities, offer ABA therapy, hiking with a goat and more.
“We realized how much it helped us,” said Herrera. “The animals offer unconditional love and no judgement…Going out there and just sitting with them helped us.”
Still, Herrera said that they saw a greater need that they might be able to help with, and they created Market with a Mission to support those who could use the extra help.
“We realized how much need there is in the community…We saw a need and we filled it,” said Herrera. “We’re all human, and we all have struggles.”
One of the other goals of Market with a Mission is to help promote local organizations.
“We realized, for us, how hard it was to be seen and recognized,” explained Herrera.
Every vendor at the event got a chance to talk about their organization and the opportunity to promote themselves. Herrera said that her dream is to see Market with a Mission grow one day to have 100 vendors or more.
More than just food, several of the vendors at Friday’s event also provided items.
Britnia Weicht and Winston Weicht, founders of GTC United (God Teamwork Community United) attended all four Market with a Mission events, providing a variety of free items.
“This one, we definitely have a lot more to contribute,” said Britnia Weicht.
They gave away a large amount of baby items, including formula, as well as medical supplies. They were also able to take names of people to try to provide walkers and wheelchairs in the future (since they were unable to bring the larger items to the event). They also gave away socks, blankets, hats, gloves, and more.
“Asking for help is hard,” said Winston Weicht.
Weicht said that they feel like events like Market with a Mission are necessary, and they are especially grateful that Market with a Mission can assist while allowing a level of anonymity for those that were helped.
“We just want to be a neighbor helping a neighbor,” said Britnia Weicht.
The two added that they were happy to help D&S Cuddling Critters, a fellow veteran owned business.
“We want to support D&S Cuddling Critters with their mission,” said Joann Courtland, Executive Director of Operation Stand Down Central Texas (OSDCTX). “I’m happy to be here and happy to support. Everything works better when there’s a group.”
OSDCTX had an information table with their calendar of events through May. They gave away new socks and children’s movies that had been donated to the group.
Courtland said that she’s been seeing people struggling across the board with people losing jobs and/or healthcare, and the holidays were an extra burden on many.
“This really helps the community,” said Courtland.
Friday’s event was the last Market with a Mission for a while, but D&S Cuddling Critters plans to host the event again in October.
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