Picayune-KBEY Food Drive collects thousands of dollars and pounds of food for local charities
KBEY 103.9 FM Radio Picayune host Ben Shields (left) poses for a photo with Marble Falls Fire Captain Jeff Beltran, firefighters Ross Moore and Hunter Cavazos, Fire Chief Thomas Crane, The Helping Center Director Sam Pearce, and Assistant Fire Chief Coy Guenter. Shields and the firefighters collected food and donations on Wednesday, Nov. 5 for the 14th annual Picayune-KBEY Food Drive. Staff photo by Dakota Morrissiey
The 14th annual Picayune-KBEY Food Drive on Nov. 5 brought in $8,700 in monetary donations and tons of food at donation sites in Marble Falls and Burnet.
The drive ran 6 a.m.-3 p.m. Wednesday, with KBEY 103.9 FM Radio Picayune hosts broadcasting the drive live from the Marble Falls and Burnet fire stations.
“It was heartwarming to see our community come out yesterday to make sure our neighbors are taken care of,” KBEY host Mac McClennahan said. “From the smallest donation to the largest, everyone’s heart shone through and reminded me we live in the best part of Texas. I’d been bugging our listeners for weeks to make it the biggest one ever – and they sure did, with love in their hearts.”
Marble Falls donations went to The Helping Center, while Burnet donations supported LACare.
Around 2,254 pounds of food was collected at the Marble Falls Fire Station during the drive. Marble Falls firefighters also picked up a massive donation of 3,400 pounds of food donated by Faith Academy students.
Totals for Burnet’s food donations were not available as of press time, but volunteers reported trailers were filled with food throughout the day.
“The people and businesses of the Highland Lakes are always opening their hearts to help their neighbors,” Victory Media Publisher Mandi Goldsmith said. “When Victory Media puts out a call, local businesses step up to sponsor the day-long food drive — and together, the community lifts up those who need a hand.”
Last year’s drive raised $7,548 in monetary donations and over 10,000 pounds of food.
“The KBEY/Picayune Food Drive never disappoints,” Shields said. “Our listeners and readers showed how generous and compassionate they are for their neighbors in need. The community is blessed to have great food banks like LACare of Burnet and The Helping Center of Marble Falls. We are always appreciative of Marble Falls Fire & Rescue and the Burnet Fire Department for opening up their stations and helping with the food drive.”
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 2025 Picayune-KBEY Food Drive and to the sponsors that helped make it a success.
The drive comes at a critical time. Food pantries across the Highland Lakes continue to struggle to meet increasing demand. LACare in Burnet has seen triple the need over the past 18 months, according to a July report.
The Helping Center of Marble Falls has also experienced record growth, now serving between 2,500 and 3,000 families a day as of 2024 data – a staggering increase from the 300 to 500 families served daily in 2017.
That growing need has only deepened following the recent government shutdown, which has left millions without SNAP benefits. Burnet County currently has 1,672 active SNAP cases and 3,526 eligible residents, while Llano County has 1,019 cases and 2,011 eligible residents.
