Staff Report
It’s nearly Thanksgiving, and you know what that means! Hays County Food Bank is getting ready to hand out holiday meal boxes packed with frozen turkey and pantry staples that can be prepared into a home-cooked holiday feast.
It’s been a strange year, but that doesn’t mean celebrating safely around a holiday dinner isn’t possible. The food bank is preparing for its 14th annual Turkeys Tackling Hunger Holiday Meal Box Program, but with safety precautions to ensure social distancing.
The food bank team will be equipped with facemasks, gloves, sanitizer and practice as much safe social distancing as possible to hand out holiday meal boxes to households in need. Meal boxes will be placed into vehicle trunks and truck beds when possible or on top of the vehicle’s hood for the client to place in their vehicle when volunteers are a safe distance away. Every distribution will take place outside and move as quickly and efficiently as possible.
The Buda Turkey Trot is another annual tradition in Hays County. While the race has been modified for 2020, individuals can still participate. Racers can choose to race virtually or in-person on Thanksgiving morning. They have safety precautions in place and there will be multiple start times. Part of your race fee will be donated to the food bank to help tackle hunger here. To learn more or sign up, visit budaturkeytrot.com.
For those wanting more information about Turkeys Tackling Hunger and the holiday meal box program, call (512) 392-8300 or email info@haysfoodbank.org.
In 2019, Hays County Food Bank and its 20+ partner agencies distributed over 1 million pounds of food to food insecure households. On average, 2,555 individuals were provided food assistance each week. These recipients were senior citizens, children, and many others facing economic challenges. “Food insecurity” refers to the availability of food and one’s access to it. Hays County Food Bank is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the public to perform its mission.
