East Texas Food Bank Puts $9 Million Donation From Amazon Ex-Wife To Use
The East Texas Food Bank received a heft donation from Mackenzie Scott and now they are announcing how those funds will be used. The plan is to allocate $11.8 million to distribute 32 million meals a year through 2025.
Last December, Mackenzie Scott, ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, decided to include the East Texas Food Bank in a group of donations that she decided to give out. Out of the 384 organizations that she chose, $9 million was donated to the East Texas Food Bank.
The East Texas Food Bank will partner with other food pantries to assist them with being able to provide more traditional meal distribution and increase the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program outreach and applications. The plan also includes sharing a resource center model to other high need communities that was started in Lufkin. These resource centers will provide healthy pantry items along with other needed resources for working families in need.
The program will also help the East Texas Food Bank with the fresh produce and purchasing program which will insure an increase in the variety of items to local food pantries. The East Texas Food Bank will also work with Feeding Texas and Feeding America to advocate public policy, legislation and resources for the collective and long-term goals to potentially end hunger. Staff will also be added to ensure that the East Texas Food Band meets its goal of providing 32 million meals a year through 2025.
The East Texas Food Bank serves Smith County and 25 other surrounding counties.