How Can You Help the Food Bank Right Now?

For the second time this year, the Hays County area has seen devastating flooding. First with the Memorial Weekend flooding, and now with the Halloween Eve flooding. While the rivers did not rise as high during the second disaster, much of Hays County was hit by the flash flooding. Homes that were being rebuilt from the first flood, were hit again. Residents that were displaced had to move out again. Cars were lost, belongings swept away, roads destroyed, and friends, family, and neighbors had to pick up the pieces.

The great thing about our community; however, is that nobody has to do this alone. Again, our community came together to help those who need it. Many of those who want to help are wondering just how to help, and there are many ways. If you would like to help out those who will need the food bank’s services, here are some ways you can do that.

1. Donate nonperishable food items to the food bank. We have seen a drastic decline in community food donations since June, with September being the lowest month. We rely on our community in order to serve the food insecure in Hays County, which means we need your help! If you would like to host a food drive, please fill out the online Registration Form. Items that are needed are:

2. Donate funds to help support the ongoing operations of the Hays County Food Bank. We will be collecting funds for our annual fall campaign, Turkeys Tackling Hunger, until November 30th. However, we provide food for those who need it in Hays County all year long, and we need your help to do so. When natural disasters strike, we need even more help, since there are typically even more families and individuals who need our help.  You can even schedule a monthly donation here. Just click on Recurring Payment.

You can also hold your very own fundraiser to support the food bank, either online or as a physical event. Online options include: starting your own personal crowdfunding campaign, organizing a race or challenge event, dedicating a special occasion, or hosting a 3rd party event. Please make sure to fill out the online event form before you get started so we know your event is happening.

3.  Volunteer with us! If you want a hands on experience with helping those less fortunate than you, then we invite you to volunteer with us. We always need help, regardless of the season. Since we feed our neighbors in need all year round, there is always a need for extra help. Groups are also welcome. Please contact Jim Wagner for more information. Volunteer opportunities include:

• Drivers- We have 3 vans that pick up food at 5 different HEB stores, take food to distributions, and pick up food drive donations.
• Warehouse- We need individuals who can weigh, sort, stock, load, and unload food. There is some slight heavy lifting involved and some cleaning.
• Distribution- We hold 6 public food distributions every week, and we need volunteers to help  do intake, distribute food, and load/unload our vans.
• Front Office/Client Services- We need volunteers to answer the phone, take donations, assist with putting together marketing materials, and other clerical duties.
• Special Projects/Events- Sometimes we need volunteers to help out with off-site events or special projects. Check our social media for upcoming events or projects that we may need help with.
• Speaker’s Bureau- Sometimes we are unable to be at speaking engagements and we need people to speak on our behalf. Training and materials are provided. Contact Mallory Raschke if interested.
• Board of Directors- Contact Food Bank’s Executive Director at (512) 392-8300 for referral to Board’s Nominations Committee.

*For more information on volunteer job descriptions, please click here.

In order to volunteer with us, you must:

1. Complete the Volunteer Application Form.
2. Read through the Orientation Manual.
3. Sign up for shifts here.

We hope that you will take an interest in helping out your local food bank, regardless of what time of year it is or what is going on. We thank you for your support.