LUFKIN, Texas (KLTV) – The Deep East Texas Resource Center celebrated six years of fighting local hunger by hosting its sixth annual Hunger Hero Awards Tuesday.
With food insecurity affecting 1 in 4 children and about 1 in 5 adults in Angelina County, an East Texas Food Bank official said a massive meal gap that plagued the community has since been closed.
“Last year, we distributed a million meals out of here, because of you guys,” Tim Butler, the food bank’s chief development officer, told attendees. “We have enough food now in this county. What we need to do is just make sure it reaches people that need it the most.”
During the ceremony, AARP Lufkin received the Community Partner Hero Award for its dedicated volunteer base, with special recognition given to longtime helpers.
The Piney Woods Foundation also earned a Community Partner Hunger Hero Award, accepted by David Perkins, for supporting more than 357,000 meals over the past five years.
“Volunteers are the heart of what we do, and we’re especially grateful for y’all’s experience and compassion with the mission,” Butler said.
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