LEON VALLEY, Texas — On a quiet Sunday morning, smoke poured through the halls of Grace Fellowship Baptist Church, the longtime home of the Rivers of Hope Ministries H.O.P.E. Food Pantry . By the time firefighters cleared the scene, the building was left with heavy smoke damage — and the ministry that feeds hundreds each month suddenly had nowhere to operate.

But even in the haze of loss and uncertainty, Stacie and Terry Rivers refused to let their community go hungry.

“The whole building filled up with smoke — there’s a lot of smoke damage,” said founder Stacie Rivers, recalling the moment they were asked to clear out every shelf, can and crate from the pantry. “The deacon from the church, he asked us to go ahead and move all the food pantry items out.”

Not wanting to interfere with

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