WACO, Texas (KWTX) - Volunteers from local school districts, the Boy Scouts, H.E.B. Grocery Company, KWTX and other community organizations on Friday collected food in nine counties as part of Food For Families, the largest one-day food drive in Texas.
Thanks to the generosity of Central Texans, this year we were able to collect nearly 2.7 million pounds of food to help replenish depleted food pantries across Central Texas.
“When my kids were little, a lot of times, there just wasn’t enough to go around ... and I’m able to help others now,” said Miss Merri, who presented a $10,000 check to Food For Families on Friday.
This year’s food drive was made even more special because beloved KWTX Weatherman Rusty Garrett returned to the air at KWTX for the first time in months amid his cancer battle to help raise money and donations in Gatesville.
Rusty was part of the original Food For Families drive 34 years ago and has only missed the annual event twice in three decades. When asked why it was important for him to return this year, Rusty said, “out of a love for the Gatesville community and their support for the project every year.”
Food For Families spans nine counties with 18 televised sites in Central Texas. All donated food serves the people in the county in which it was collected. In its 34-year history, Food For Families has gathered nearly 40 million pounds of food.
If you were not able to make a donation in person on Friday, you can still make monetary donations online until Nov. 30.
CLICK HERE to donate.
PHOTO GALLERY: FOOD FOR FAMILIES 2023
News 10's Ally Kadlubar recreating a photo from last year's Food For Families.(Courtesy Photo) Gatesville High School honored the legendary Rusty Garrett with not only an assembly to celebrate his 34 years of helping in #FoodForFamilies, but also look at the amount of food collected during his time with KWTX!(Courtesy Photo) Sienna Valenzuela at the Helping Hands Food Pantry in Belton, Texas.(Jessica Rajkumar for KWTX) An adventurous Darby Brown helped #FoodForFamilies volunteers in Mexia, Texas.(KWTX) Jillian Johnson with volunteers in Hillsboro, Texas(Courtesy Photo) Alex Fulton and Nate Smith having fun with volunteers in Killeen, Texas.(Courtesy Photo) TruBelton makes a very generous food donation in Belton, Texas.(KWTX) News 10's Madison Herber with representatives from Don Ringler Automotive, who made a generous donation to Food For Families.(KWTX) Ally with volunteers in Cameron, Texas(KWTX) Rusty Garrett and Pete Sousa at the Food For Families location in Gatesville, Texas.(KWTX) Rosemond Crown and Jessica Rajkumar at the Salado Hearts and Hands Food Pantry in Salado, Texas.(Courtesy Photo) News 10's Alex Fulton, Nate Smith and Arlett Ramirez with the Harker Heights Old Glory Grannies Basketball team. They volunteered in Killeen, Texas.(Courtesy Photo) News 10's Jasmine Lotts, Madison Herber, and Arlett Ramirez at the Food For Families location in Temple, Texas.(KWTX) Chad Vautherine with Texas New Mexico Power Company employees who donated nearly 500 pounds of food at the food pantry in Clifton, Texas.(KWTX) Camille Hoxworth and Darby Brown showing off some hardware after helping volunteers in Mexia, Texas.(KWTX) Students in Mexia, Texas helped box food items.(KWTX) Alex Fulton at the food pantry in Nolanville, Texas(kwtx) News 10 Anchor/Reporter Ally Kadlubar with Food For Families volunteers in Cameron, Texas.(KWTX) Meridian High School students helped unload food donations at the North Bosque Helping Hands food pantry.(Jillian Johnson) Volunteers at the Clifton Food Bank(KWTX) Jillian Johnson and Chad Vautherine(KWTX) Gatesville Police donated $2,622 to Food For Families. If the department raises $8,000 by Feb. 2024, its chief and Pete Sousa will do a Polar Plunge into the Gatesville City pool.(PHOTO: Shay Tracy for KWTX) Food For Families volunteers in Temple, Texas(KWTX) News 10 Reporter Alex Fulton with the Central Texas Prince Hall Masonic Family.
Thank you for your generous donation to #FoodForFamilies in Killeen!(KWTX)