Thankful Thursday: Spring Valley Area Food Shelf
[anvplayer video=”5147082″ station=”998128″]
(ABC 6 News) – Every Thursday through November, ABC 6 News Good Morning reporter Sydney Zatz will bring you ‘Thankful Thursday’ and feature how people in the community are giving back. This week, it’s about the Spring Valley Area Food Shelf.
A group of volunteers have one mission and one mission only, to make sure no one goes hungry.
One of those volunteers is 78-year-old Sharon Jahn. Jahn has been a volunteer at the food shelf for several years and helps to keep the shelves filled. In addition, she takes any monetary donations to buy other items families might need, like toiletries.
“There are a big demand for those. Almost every shopper that comes will get things off of that section,” said Jahn.
“And that’s something relatively new for this food shelf. Because we have extra money, we provide for those even if it’s not edible things.”
Every Thursday through November, ABC 6 News Good Morning reporter Sydney Zatz will bring you ‘Thankful Thursday’ and feature how people in the community are giving back. This week, it's about the Spring Valley Area Food Shelf.
There is no limit to what people can take except for a few items like baby food and certain types of meat. The food shelf actually has so much food, it’s asking people to come in.
Part of the reason for that surplus is Hormel’s partnership with the Austin Salvation Army. Having that partnership gives the Salvation Army extra pallets of food and because it doesn’t need it all, it reached out to area food shelves to help spread the good.
“If it’s a busy, busy day, we’re filling as they’re shopping,” said Carol Gross, another volunteer with the food shelf.
“Product goes down, we call them up, and we go and get more SPAM. So we always have SPAM available.”
This isn’t the only local partnership, the food shelf works with Kingsland Public Schools and its Backpack Program. Helping fill backpacks with food for kids who might not get opportunities to be fed over the weekend.
The food shelf will offer a select number of full Thanksgiving meals to families. Those will be handed out on the Tuesday of Thanksgiving week.
The food shelf is open every Wednesday from 2-4 p.m. and every Saturday morning from 9 – 11 a.m. To apply for assistance, you can click here.
If you or someone you know is making an extra effort to give back to the community, submit them for Thankful Thursday. Email Sydney Zatz at szatz@kaaltv.com.