About Carol’s Kindness Food Pantry
What we Do
Our non-profit rescues usable food and supplies that would have otherwise been thrown away.
We work with local grocers, restaurants, and other food industry sources, as well as other food pantries to convert food waste into a reliable source of healthy food to our local community.
Vision & Goals
Now that we have secured a reliable venue for our pantry, our goals are to have:
- Small warehouse to store shelves of canned goods
- Walk-in cooler big enough to store produce for 150 families
- Refrigerated truck to keep everything at temp during transport
- Donations to support all this
If you can help with our goals, please contact us.
Our Mission
We are a nonprofit organization rescuing food from grocery stores, restaurants, and warehouses and serving it to food insecure people in East Austin.
History
Carol Rabun’s mission started with getting greens for her pet pig, Pumba. FreshPlus was the only store that would give her greens. Some of the produce/trimmings she picked up were good enough to pass on to others. She posted on NextDoor and three people started coming over regularly. Three years later she contacted a food pantry for their overage and she passed out a small amount of food to unhoused people. Then, one by one, she picked up more volunteers and more food to give out. From the unhoused people we serve, we found out where the warehouses are that transport food. Currently we pick up from 3 grocery stores, 2 warehouses, 2 restaurants and surprise donations from local businesses and donors. In summer 2023, the pantry moved from Carol’s house to the Gus Garcia Recreation Center on Rundberg Lane.
Team Biographies
Carol Rabun
FounderCarol was raised in Odessa, Texas, and lived through a lot of rolling sand storms. She married Jerry Rabun in 1963 and they have lived in Austin since January of 1970. Carol worked for Southwestern Bell Telephone, grocery stores, banks, as a school bus driver, title company, foster parent, and owned a childcare center till 2001 when she retired. She has 2 children, 6 grandchildren and 8 great-grandchildren.
Dianne Koehler
Pantry Coordinator, Financial OfficerDianne grew up in mid-state Illinois and moved to Texas in 1971. She is a retired registered nurse and long time non-profit volunteer with various organizations. She has written grants and administered grants for the library in Wells Branch and Carol’s Kindness+. Dianne organizes and manages the Saturday pantry. She and her husband started their own Charitable Fund in 2022 and are a financial donor to Carol’s Kindness+.
Pumba
Chairman of the BoarIn 2014, Carol and her husband were given an 11-week-old micro mini pig. They were his third family in his short life. He was the size of your hand. Then with good care and good nutrition he grew and grew and grew into a 250 pound love bug. He loves to be brushed and has trained his pig parents well!
Volunteers
We are thankful for all of our volunteers. We couldn’t do it without you!
Since 2015
- Jerry (Co-founder)
- David
Since 2020
- Aurora
- Elizabeth
- Glenda
- Miranda
- Robert
- Vivian
Since 2021
- Alex
- Dianne
- Eric
- Hesperia
- Jeanene
- Jeff
- Margeaux
- Sasha
- Scott
- Tara
Since 2023
- Crandall
- Grace
- JD
- Jennifer
- Kris
- Linda
- Louise
- Lynn
- Mary Jane
- Regina
- Rickie
- Sarah
- Van
Carol, thank you so very, very much. Your kindness and generosity has TRULY made a big difference to my family these past few weeks.
