In two years, Helping Hands of Georgetown has grown from one man preparing 12 bagged lunches for the local homeless population each week to a group of 50 volunteers who serve hundreds of people in need.

Bob Weimer founded the nonprofit organization in 2016.

After living in Georgetown for 16 years, Weimer said he had become aware of the needs of people in town who were underserved, such as people who were homeless and people who had jobs and homes but struggled to afford basic necessities, as well as children and young adults who had no permanent residence and made do by couchsurfing, he said.

Weimer, along with his wife and daughter, started by distributing bagged lunches in areas of Georgetown where he knew they would find people in need, like St. Gabriel Park. Word of their charity spread among the people they helped, Weimer said.

He estimated Georgetown’s homeless population averages between 40-45 people during most of the year.

“Our homeless population, while it’s here, you have to recognize them and know where they call home. They have to get our trust,” he said.

Today Helping Hands volunteers prepare and distribute 400 bagged lunches every month. Along with helping people who are homeless, the organization also distributes food and other goods to residents who have homes but struggle to make ends meet.

“We all have a pretty good life,” Weimer said of his volunteers. “If we can give a little bit every now and then to make sandwiches, it’s a blessing to be able to do it.”

Helping Hands volunteers meet in the parking lot of the Georgetown Public Library, 402 W. Eighth St., Georgetown, on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays to hand out lunches. A volunteer also drives around Georgetown to distribute lunches in other areas. Other volunteers hand out lunches to residents in Section 8 housing complexes.

In all, Helping Hands serves just under 400 people each month, Weimer said.

“I’m not sure the largest population of Georgetown understands that in our awesome community, we have this need,” Weimer said. “Not enough of our population is aware that we have these kind of homeless, couchsurfing kids and underserved working poor. This is the community we have wrapped our arms around to serve.”