Hays County Food Bank recognizes Spring Harvest winners

The Hays County Food Bank recently recognized two teams that participated in the Spring Harvest Food Drive Challenge.

The food bank said the food drive was created to get teams to focus on fresh instead of just canned foods. Iron Ox — a fairly new agricultural site located in Lockhart which uses robotics and artificial intelligence to ensure each individual plant receives the optimal levels of sunshine, water, and nutrients — and the team consisting of the Kyle Fire Department, Living Word Lutheran Church and the Kyle Lions Club were recognized for their efforts during this year's food drive.

“Hays County Food Bank believes that food is a basic right, and that everyone deserves access to healthy food,” the food bank said in a news release. “They aim to provide every household with a variety of food, ⅓ of which is fresh produce. While canned items are always a hot commodity, fresh fruits and vegetables are some of the most requested items. The rising cost of food means that fresh produce can be much harder to come by for the average family. For those needing food assistance, regular access to fresh foods can be near impossible.

“While any vegetable is better than no vegetable, canned foods tend to have a higher sodium content and there can be a lack of variety. Having a good mix of canned and fresh items in your kitchen can make for healthier meals.”

Iron Ox donated 585 pounds of healthy lettuce and various basils. The team including the Kyle Fire Department, Living Word Lutheran Church and the Kyle Lions Club brought in the most overall  pounds of food from their "Fill the Firetruck" event. They were presented with the food bank’s traveling trophy while volunteering at the food distribution in Kyle. HCFB said these organizations worked hard to collect and donate 1,287 pounds to help feed our local families in need.

“The food bank hopes that everyone had a wonderful time collecting and donating food for a good cause,” HCFB said. “In this type of competition, our community is the real winner. While those teams who donated the most pounds of food received special recognition, every team who participated gets to feel good about helping to ensure their fellow neighbors continue to have access to nutritious food.”

The food bank collected 1,065 pounds of fresh produce and 5,055 pounds of shelf-stable foods during the course of this food drive challenge. HCFB added that hundreds of families who struggle benefited from this food drive, and the food bank hopes that people were inspired to donate food or funds regularly throughout the year.

“Hunger knows no season, and the food bank works to provide a continuous variety of nutritious foods to those who seek food assistance,” HCFB said.

For more information, please visit haysfoodbank.org or visit us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram at @HaysFoodBank.

Information provided by Hays County Food Bank