Food bank receives $1,500 donation from H-E-B stores

Staff Photo by Benjamin Sharp Amelia Salinas, executive director of the Food Bank of the Golden Crescent, and H-E-B of Wharton store director Scott Lovejoy display some of the goods that can be purchased for the food bank through a monetary donation by H-E-B.

Needy families in 11 south Texas counties will receive a little more help thanks to the generosity of area residents and H-E-B.

H-E-B stores in Wharton, El Campo and Bay City teamed up last fall to collect funds for the Food Bank of the Golden Crescent, a Victoria-based organization that distributes food and products to 100 agencies in a 9,963 square mile service area.

That service area includes 11 counties: Wharton, Refugio, Matagorda, Lavaca, Jackson, Gonzales, Goliad, DeWitt, Colorado, Victoria and Calhoun.

Between Nov. 12 and Dec. 31 of last year, area H-E-B stores conducted the "Share Your Holidays" campaign to collect funds for the food bank.

Tear-off coupons in the amounts of $1, $3 and $5 were located at H-E-B checkout stands, where customers could add the desired donation amount to their grocery bill.

A total of $1,500 was raised. Food bank representatives received their check on Thursday at the Wharton H-E-B.

Last year, the Food Bank of the Golden Crescent distributed some 3.5 million pounds of food, of which 223,645 pounds were provided to Wharton area residents.