WACO, Texas (KXXV) — As children lose access to school meals for the summer and grocery prices remain high, 25 News is partnering with Shepherd's Heart for the annual "Feed the Need" food drive to help support local families.
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Each summer, local food pantries see an increase in demand as families work to replace the meals children would normally receive at school. Higher food prices have made that an extra challenge for some Central Texas neighbors.
Bob Gager, CEO of Shepherd's Heart, said the food drive has been a growing priority for the organization.
"Feed the Need has been around for a while. We've been doing this for several years, and it's one of the things that as Shepherd's Heart was growing, it was really needed. Um, just put that in perspective, last year we served half a million people. That's because food from the community and food from a lot of different places, but a lot of people chipping in on this deal. And what we're looking at now is because the food bank is moving in, we're moving in with them, the need is going to get greater. Our, our direction is to get into more of the community, at least top 9 counties, and really do something there that hasn't been done."
Summer can bring extra pressure for families as children are home from school and the cost of providing three meals a day shifts to parents. At Shepherd's Heart, that often means more people turning to the food pantry for help. The organization has served more than 104,000 families, which continues to motivate Gager to keep investing in the Central Texas community.
"Whenever we're doing a food drive like this, it's not because we just, oh we need that. No, it's a target. This food drive right now is in the middle of the summer when the kids are out of school and a lot of people, the kids are just eating them out of the house and home. I know what that's like. That's what my kids did to me when I, when they were growing up and it's one of those things where we need to be cognizant of that so that we can be there to meet people's needs."
Through the "Feed the Need" food drive, 25 News is inviting the community to help make sure no family has to struggle putting food on the table. Organizers say every donation helps keep pantries stocked for families who need it most. For more information on how to donate or get involved, visit kxxv.com.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
