U.S. Border Patrol
The Food Bank RGV is proud to be working closely with the U.S. Border Patrol and other federal programs to help feed hungry families in South Texas.
From June 16, 2011 to Sept 16, 2011, agents will be collecting food to give to the Food Bank RGV for distribution to over 180 local agencies.
Below is a table of the current locations and the most up to date total pounds collected.
Thank you!
| RGV Sector HQ & BP Annex |
5,080 lbs |
| Falfurrias Station |
134 lbs |
| McAllen Station |
1,777 lbs |
| Weslaco Station |
7,618 lbs |
| Harlingen Station |
7,710 lbs |
| Brownsville Station |
2,785 lbs |
| Fort Brown Station |
2,500 lbs |
Total: 27,604 lbs
as of September 19, 2011
Feds Help Feed Families from The Monitor, June 17, 2011
U.S. Border Patrol agents are not only working to safeguard the nation’s boundaries this summer. They also plan to help feed hungry families.
Agents from the Rio Grande Valley Sector met Thursday morning at their headquarters in Edinburg to kick off their Feds Feed Families program. Now in its third year, the nationwide effort will help collect non-perishable items through September for food banks across the country, agency spokeswoman Rosalinda Huey said.
“All the food and money that we raise here will go to the Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley,” she said.
Last year, the agency collected more than 3,000 pounds of food locally and 1.7 million pounds nationwide, Huey said. This year, officials want to collect 2 million pounds, and more than 2,400 agents in the Valley hope to double their efforts by gathering 6,000 pounds before the end of the summer — a critical time for school children who depend on school lunches for meals.
There are 49 million Americans who are struggling with hunger and 17 million of those are estimated to be children, said Woody Lee, deputy chief patrol agent.
“I was saddened last night: I didn’t realize Texas is one of the top two states for having the highest rate of hunger and food insecurity,” he said. “More alarming to me was when I found out that it is estimated that one in two children in the Valley go to bed hungry.”
Children are the backbone of this country, said Omar Rodriguez, spokesman for Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley. If they’re not fed, it affects their learning and the country’s future.
Monetary donations also will be accepted. For every dollar donated, 10 pounds of food are purchased and will feed up to five people, Rodriguez said.
“Right now it’s a very difficult time for food banks and hunger programs in the country,” he said.
Congress is seeking to cut up to 20 percent of some crucial family programs such as WIC through the House Bill 2112, he added.
The legislation “would cut important safety net programs for a lot of Americans, and if those cuts were to come into fruition, then we would be looking at least 5,000 people affected in the Valley,” Rodriguez said. “We don’t balance our budget on the backs of our poor.”
The food bank also is searching for volunteers, he added.
“It’s hard for us. As Border Patrol agents, we often encounter people fleeing from poverty,” Lee said. “In my mind, there’s no excuse for any American to go hungry.”
U.S. District Attorney's Office
McAllen Office - 264 lbs
Brownsville Office - 182 lbs
U.S. Port of Entry
Donna (Anzalduas) - 382