BELTON, Texas — Feed My Sheep is a nonprofit organization in Temple, and it hosted a free children’s clinic today. The clinic was at the Body of Christ Community Clinic in Belton.
This free clinic was designed for children 18 and under who don’t have insurance or access to health care. It started in 2015, and they have been doing clinics ever since.
“We know that people can have rough times, and we’re here to help them when they need that, and we have that need in central Texas,” Co-founder Stephen Ponder said.
Dr. Ponder started the clinic with Jim Hornsby after they realized how great the need was.
“There’s a significant amount of uninsured and homeless kids in central Texas, and they need health care,” Dr. Ponder said.
Rachel Styer is a pediatrician at McLane Children’s Hospital with Dr. Ponder, and she has been volunteering at the clinic for about four years.
She said volunteering at the clinic reminds her of why she went into medicine.
“A lot of us in medicine and a lot of us who have gone to medical school, we decided we wanted to be a doctor because we wanted to help people, and we wanted to help underprivileged people,” Dr. Styer said. “And so this gave us the opportunity and gave me the direct opportunity to help homeless and uninsured children.”
She said her favorite part is the feeling she gets after a clinic.
“You just leave with the sense of community, the sense of purpose and a sense of like, yeah, I can make a difference, which you don’t always get every day,” Dr. Styer said.
She encourages everyone to get involved in the community in some way.
“I encourage people to get their hands dirty, come out to these events and volunteer, because I can assure you we’re always looking for help,” Dr. Styer said. “And I know places across the community are always looking for help to.”
Feed My Sheep has multiple clinics throughout the year, and the next one is going to be in October. More details can be found on their Facebook page or their website.