Jacksonville resident Kathy Spears, with her two young children sipping in her grocery cart outside the Super 1 Foods store on Centennial Parkway, was wondering how two big brands have teamed up to help her get through the trouble this holiday season. We embraced the holiday spirit by donating hams to families in need.
“It’s always good to feed people in need,” Spears said.
Hormel Foods Corporation and Brookshire Grocery Company (BGC) partnered on December 19th to donate approximately 8,000 hams valued at approximately $100,000 to the East Texas Food Bank (ETFB) and other markets in the market area. donated to the food bank. Donations will be distributed throughout the communities served by Brookshire’s, Super 1 Foods, Spring Market and FRESH. Brookshire store.
A close-up of a Homel ham donated to the East Texas Food Bank. (Casey Harrell/Tyler Morning Telegraph)
East Texas has a uniquely rural service area where hunger disproportionately impacts residents. One in six East Texans faces food insecurity every day, and for children, the numbers are even more alarming: One in four, or 25%, don’t know where their next meal will come from. Possibly. The East Texas Food Bank plays a vital role in distributing food throughout the region.
Nonprofits often face fluctuating levels of support, but Spears said support increases during the holiday season, when community need is greatest.
Tim Butler, ETFB’s chief development officer, said donations of high-quality proteins like Hormel ham are especially meaningful during this time because they don’t always arrive in large quantities.
“This time of year, people want to get together with their families for Christmas or New Year’s, and if they can, they want to cook a ham or turkey dish, so they can make a really delicious meal that’s appropriate for the holidays,” Butler said. said.
Hams distributed through ETFB support a network of food pantries in the region. The network includes approximately 140 food pantry partners across a 26-county service area.
“The East Texas Food Bank has a large fleet of vehicles. In fact, we distribute about 60% of our food by home delivery. So many of our partners don’t have the means to travel to Tyler to pick it up, and we have a large fleet in Texarkana. They could be very far away, so we just deliver directly to them,” Butler said.
Butler said that while some of the partners are well-known organizations like the Salvation Army, many are small, rural churches that are passionate about helping their communities. These hams go directly to local communities and help feed those in need.
“We are thrilled to be one of the recipients of this generous donation from Hormel Foods and Brookshire Grocery Company. It’s really great to have them on our side,” Butler said.
BGC Chairman and CEO Brad Brookshire said the program has been in place for more than 20 years and will continue to be a priority. He added that he is honored to have a strong partnership with Hormel.
Brad Brookshire, Chairman and CEO of Brookshire Grocery Company, speaks about the continued partnership with Hormel Foods and the importance of supporting local communities. (Casey Harrell/Tyler Morning Telegraph)
Jeremy Geyser, Hormel’s sales director for West Coast customers, said the partnership was originally scheduled to end, but will continue locally because of its importance.
“This is a program that we’re working with multiple retailers. Most of those retailers probably won’t continue, but it’s so important here that we want to continue to invest in it. ” Geyser said.
Jerry LeClair, BGC executive vice president and chief merchandising officer, said the continuation of the program at Brookshire’s builds on its long-standing strong partnership with Hormel and its commitment to giving back to the communities it serves. He said it would be highlighted.
“They call us every year and want to donate a ham. We’re all happy,” Brookshire said.
