Author: Michael Hetrick

Hormel Foods and Brookshire Grocery Co. donate $100K of Hormel® Cure 81® hams to help thousands in need

BGC Hormel Ham Donation 2024

Hormel Foods Corporation and Brookshire Grocery Co. (BGC) partnered to donate nearly 8,000 Hormel® Cure 81® hams to help feed those in need this holiday season. The two companies are donating $100,000 worth of hams to the East Texas Food Bank and other food banks in the company’s market area for distribution throughout the communities where Brookshire’s, Super 1 Foods, Spring Market, and FRESH by Brookshire’s stores operate.

“We are very proud to annually partner with Hormel Foods and to donate $100,000 in hams to nonprofits, including the East Texas Food Bank,” said Brad Brookshire, Chairman and CEO of Brookshire Grocery Co. “We are dedicated to making a difference in our stores and the communities we serve. We are proud to help thousands of families this Christmas holiday with this partnership with Hormel for their Hams for Hunger program.”

Hormel Foods, BGC, and the East Texas Food Bank held a ceremony today at Super One Foods in Tyler to commemorate the occasion. Representatives from each organization discussed the significance of this donation in supporting hunger relief in communities supported by the food bank.

“We are thrilled to receive this generous gift of hams from Hormel Foods Corporation and Brookshire Grocery Co.,” said David Emerson, CEO of the East Texas Food Bank. “These hams will go a long way in helping our families in East Texas during the holidays and beyond.”

The makers of the Hormel® Cure 81® brand created the Hormel® Cure 81® Hams for Hunger™® program in 1989. The program involves a partnership between Hormel Foods and grocery retailers across the country.

Whataburger Franchisee Holds Annual Food Bank Fundraiser

Nearly two dozen Whataburger restaurants across East Texas will begin their annual East Texas Food Bank Ornament Sales Dec. 4. Guests can buy train ornaments to adorn each restaurant through Dec. 17 with all proceeds going to the East Texas Food Bank.

“They are a great organization that we’ve been partners with for 25 years,” DKT Investments Director of Marketing Nicole Jones said. “Some of our restaurants get so many donations that they end up papering the walls with ornaments. We start running out of places to put them.”

DKT Investments owns and operates 23 Whataburger restaurants in a dozen communities. The food bank serves clients from Texarkana to Lufkin.

By donating as little as $1, Guests can put their name on an ornament like this to hang in the restaurant.

People wanting to donate should visit participating restaurants in Tyler, Lindale, Chapel Hill, Henderson, Kilgore, Liberty City, Gilmer, Chandler, Mineola, Bullard, Whitehouse and Pittsburg to help.

The RGIII Foundation and Tyson Foods Partner to Donate 2,500 Pounds of Ham to East Texas Food Bank

RGIII Ham Donation

The RGIII Foundation, in partnership with Tyson Foods, is proud to announce a generous donation of 2,500 pounds of ham to the East Texas Food Bank. This incredible contribution will support local families in need during the holiday season, ensuring access to nutritious protein as part of their meals.

The donation underscores the RGIII Foundation’s commitment to community welfare and Tyson Foods’ dedication to fighting hunger across America. By joining forces, both organizations aim to make a meaningful impact on food security in East Texas.

“We are thrilled to partner with Tyson Foods in this initiative,” said Robert Griffin III, founder of the RGIII Foundation. “Ensuring that our neighbors right up the road from us have access to nutritious food is extremely important to me, especially in my home state of Texas. We cannot thank Tyson Foods enough for their generosity in helping families set their tables this holiday season and being a major partner of The RGIII Foundation.”

The East Texas Food Bank serves over 200,000 households and 26 counties, and this donation will help bolster their efforts to provide balanced meals to those in need.

Tyson Foods has long been a leader in corporate social responsibility, with a focus on hunger relief. This initiative highlights the power of collaboration between nonprofit organizations and corporate partners in addressing critical issues like food insecurity. The RGIII Foundation and Tyson Foods encourage others to join in their efforts and support local food banks during this season of giving.

Brookshire Grocery Company Donates Produce to the East Texas Food Bank

BGC_Donation

In partnership with the company’s vendor suppliers, Brookshire Grocery Co. is donating more than $80,000 worth of fresh produce to the East Texas Food Bank.

On Nov. 19, 2024, the food bank will receive 40,000 pounds of fresh produce to help feed those in need this holiday season. A ceremony will be held in Tyler at the East Texas Food Bank to celebrate the donation, which will help provide hunger relief in our local communities.

This donation is an extension of BGC’s 43rd annual Spirit of Christmas Food Drive program. Through Dec.17, all Brookshire’s, Super 1 Foods, Spring Market and FRESH by Brookshire’s stores are collecting donations of non-perishable food items to be donated to local service organizations and food pantries for distribution. Customers may also donate monetary donations using scan coupons at checkout. This annual food drive provides nearly half a million pounds of food to those in need throughout the company’s market areas.

BGC remains committed to supporting and making a difference in the more than 165 communities it serves. We deeply value our neighbors, and together, we can unite to fight hunger in our communities this holiday season.

About BGC
Brookshire Grocery Co. is a regional family-owned grocery business that operates more than 200 stores in four states- Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas and Oklahoma – with three distribution centers. The company proudly employs more than 17,000 individuals and has been recognized as a Great Place to Work every year since 2020. Known for friendly service, clean stores and strong community support, BGC has been in operation since 1928.

Feeding Texas Network Announces 2025 State Legislative Priorities

Bill filing begins this week for the 89th Texas Legislature. As state lawmakers begin to introduce legislation, Feeding Texas calls on our elected officials to back policy solutions that prevent hunger and tackle the root causes of food insecurity.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently released its annual study measuring food security. The report shows that Texas has the second-highest rate of food insecurity in the nation at 16.9%. This is a 1.4% increase compared to last year’s food insecurity rate and it means that in Texas, 1 in 6 households are food insecure.

“The rising cost of food and other household expenses, such as rent and utilities, is making it increasingly difficult for Texans to pay the bills,” said Celia Cole, CEO of Feeding Texas, the state association of food banks. “The state’s significant backlog in processing SNAP applications is preventing many from accessing the food benefits they need and only contributes to the issue. Food banks are doing everything within their means to meet the growing need in their communities as more and more families seek emergency food. As food insecurity rises across the state, it is crucial that Texas lawmakers support hunger solutions in the upcoming legislative session and make it easier, not harder, for families to access food resources.”

This year, Feeding Texas is advancing policy solutions to both prevent hunger and tackle its causes and consequences. These legislative priorities are supported by our network of 20 food banks, which serves all 254 counties in Texas. The agenda is also supported by the Texas Food Policy Roundtable (TFPR), a coalition of over 80 organizations dedicated to ending hunger in Texas. TFPR includes leaders from the food banking, retail, nonprofit, education, and healthcare sectors.

The first section of our shared legislative agenda focuses on increasing access to food and improving health outcomes. The Feeding Texas network and TFPR are calling on lawmakers to:

  1. Eliminate the backlog of SNAP applications and increase efficiencies by streamlining SNAP six-month eligibility checks with periodic reporting. Periodic reporting is a proven tool to reduce workload, save on administrative costs and enhance program integrity. Georgia recently implemented periodic reporting and saw a 25% reduction in workload for their eligibility staff. Applied to Texas’ eligibility workforce, this change could save over $33 million in state funds per year.
  2. Fight child hunger during the summer by implementing Summer EBT. Nearly 1 in 4 Texas children experience hunger, which spikes in the summer because millions of children lose access to school meals. Summer EBT is a new program that would provide low-income families with children $120 in food benefits during the summer.3.
  3. Improve health outcomes and reduce state healthcare costs by developing a streamlined Medicaid reimbursement model that integrates food bank services into our healthcare system and enables doctors to prescribe healthy food.4.
  4. Modernize the eligibility system by adequately funding the Texas Health and Human Service Commission’s Legislative Appropriations Request (LAR) Exceptional Item #2 to fix problems with TIERS. System errors and glitches within TIERS, the system that enrolls Texans in SNAP, Medicaid, and TANF, have led to application processing delays and wrongful denials.

The second section of our legislative agenda focuses on tackling the root causes of hunger.

“We know that hunger does not occur in a vacuum,” Cole said. “Hunger is closely linked to many other issues, including health, housing, financial security, and access to healthy, locally grown food. At Feeding Texas, we seek to provide food for today, tomorrow, and for a lifetime. This mission requires us to go beyond short-term solutions and to address the root causes of hunger, which can lead to long-term change.”

Feeding Texas is working with partner organizations across the state who are experts on the following issues. Texas lawmakers can help address the root causes of hunger by supporting legislation to:

  1. Strengthen Our Local Food Systems: Local food systems can help reduce food insecurity and increase resilience by reducing food waste, supporting local economies, improving food quality and making fresh, nutritious food more accessible to everyone.
  2. Increase Healthcare Access: Hunger and health are deeply connected. Individuals facing food insecurity are more likely to experience adverse health effects and face barriers to accessing necessary health services. 3.
  3. Ensure Housing Affordability: Strengthening access to affordable, quality housing allows Texan to allocate more of their household budgets to other essential needs like food.  4.
  4. Improve Financial Security: As food prices continue to rise, financial security and economic stability are essential to ensure Texas households can meet their nutrition needs, thrive in the workforce, and save for the future.

“Hunger is a nonpartisan issue — it impacts every county in our state and Texans from all walks of life,” Cole said. “While finding common ground in today’s political climate may be challenging, we can all agree that all Texans deserve access to the nutritious food they need to live full, healthy lives. We have the tools to solve hunger in Texas, and our neighbors facing food insecurity are counting on the Texas Legislature to act.”