Picayune-KBEY Food Drive brings in tons of food and funds
KBEY 103.9 FM Radio Picayune Operations Manager Ben Shields kneels in front of a massive food donation that had to be delivered by forklift to the Marble Falls Fire Station during The Picayune-KBEY Food Drive on Nov. 6. Shields spent the day broadcasting from the fire station, chatting with donors, and working alongside firefighters to accept contributions from the community. Staff photo by Jennifer Greenwell
The 13th annual Picayune-KBEY Food Drive on Nov. 6 collected over 10,000 pounds of food and $7,548 in monetary donations for food pantries in Marble Falls and Burnet.
The drive ran from 6 a.m.-3 p.m. on Wednesday, with KBEY 103.9 FM Radio Picayune Operations Manager Ben Shields broadcasting live from the Marble Falls Fire Station and morning show host Mac McClennahan at the Burnet Fire Station.
The radio personalities worked alongside firefighters and EMTs to accept donations and thank the charitable souls who visited.
Donations made in Marble Falls went to The Helping Center. Those dropped off in Burnet went to LACare. Both pantries feed thousands of Highland Lakes residents in need every month.
“The food drive went well, and every year, it’s great to see people come out and open their hearts and wallets,” Shields told DailyTrib.com in a post-drive interview. “People taking the time to swing by, it says a lot.”
Shields mentioned one donor who needed a forklift to move a one-ton pallet of food donated to The Helping Center. Food donations in the 2024 drive far exceeded the 2023 total, which was around 6,000 pounds.
McClennahan said the drive went smoothly thanks to first responders.
“We’re receiving all of these donations, and that afternoon, as soon as they’re finished, (the firefighters) hook up the trailer and take it straight to the food pantry,” he told DailyTrib.com. “That’s the coolest part to me; it is an immediate help to the food pantry.”
McClennahan mentioned two particularly impactful moments for him during the drive.
“A woman pulled up, and she wrote a check and said, ‘I used to have to get food from (LACare), and I just want to give back,’” he told DailyTrib.com. “In the past, she had to use these resources, and now she’s giving back. And to me, that was just really special.”
In the other instance, a donor told McClennahan she was moved to contribute when she learned her 15-year-old son was bringing two lunches to school to feed one of his friends, who never had anything to eat.
“That was hard to hear,” he said.
The Helping Center alone serves about 2,500 families a month, according to Executive Director Sam Pearce. In June, the pantry had over 7,000 patrons, 1,100 of whom were children.
THANK YOU, FROM VICTORY MEDIA
KBEY 103.9 FM and The Picayune Magazine are part of the Victory Media family, which also includes DailyTrib.com, 101HighlandLakes.com, and the 101 Fun Things to do in the Highland Lakes magazine.
Thank you to the Highland Lakes community for participating in the 2024 Picayune-KBEY Food Drive and to the sponsors that helped make it a success.
Title sponsors:
- Texas Building Center
- Crossings Real Estate
- Shelby Palmer and the Garage Door Guys near U.S. 281 and RR 1431
- Tanker’s Plumbing
- Poole Eye Associates
- Magnolia Hospice
- Inman’s BBQ
- Hill Country National Bank
- Integrative Health Solutions
Broadcast sponsors:
- Burnet County Precinct 2 Commissioner Damon Beierle
- Brust Concrete
- Hillcountry Collision
- Faith Sunshine and Hope Ranch
- Dale Brown Properties
- Atkins Pharmacy
- Lauren Concrete
- 7 Creek Vineyard