Ho-Ho-Hope for the Hungry

Our hearts go out to Texas families who are having a hard time putting food on the table, especially during the holidays. That’s why First Choice Power donated $5,000 to the East Texas Food Bank to provide almost 400 holiday Food First™ bags to children who normally take part in the food bank’s weekly backpack program. The bags were given out in Tyler, Nacogdoches and Lufkin in mid-December, right before school let out for the holiday break. The bags helped ensure the children and their families had enough to eat during the break, when they couldn’t count on a free or reduced lunch at school.

Each biodegradable bag was stocked with healthy food such as granola bars, canned lasagna, fruit cups, cereal, peanut butter and other non-perishable items. In addition, the food bank included a children’s book in each child’s bag.

This year, First Choice Power was able to work with food banks to distribute holiday bags in The Valley, East Texas and West Texas. The bag program started this summer, when our partnership with the East Texas Food Bank allowed us to distribute weekend meal bags to 150 children in summer programs. Food First Bags filled with milk, fruit, juice, granola bars and canned food were also distributed every Friday this summer at Andrews Park in Tyler and Kingdom Harvest Ministries and Cornerstone Church in Lufkin.

One of our Food First programs goals is to distribute 1 million meals to families across the state, and we’re getting closer each day! In fact, First Choice Power is even matching your donations of food or money to your local food bank. Texas ranks as the second hungriest state, but together, we can make a difference for our friends and neighbors in need.