Food for Families is the largest one-day food drive in Texas. It is an annual event sponsored by the Boy Scouts of America, H.E.B. Grocery Company, and KWTX News 10.
Together with the Falls County Samaritan House in Marlin, this one-day food drive collects non-perishable food and stocks the shelves throughout the coming year (‘till we get to do it all over again!)
 
In Marlin on the Friday before Thanksgiving, volunteers working outside of H.E.B. grocery store collected over 26,700 pounds of food for the pantry of Falls County Samaritan House. Throughout Central Texas donated food and money totaling more than one million pounds each year for the past eight years have been generously collected.
 
Food donations consisted of Canned Meats, Tuna, Chili, Stew, Chicken, Canned Vegetables, Sugar, Corn Meal, Pasta, Pasta Sauce, Cereals, Flour, Baby Food, Peanut Butter, Dry Beans, Flour, Rice
 
At the Rotary Club meeting prior to the food drive, Rotarian Letitia Estep encouraged everyone to be a part of this tradition and help fellow Central Texans by donating non-perishable food products or funds with which to purchase food that people need most.
 
Thanks are extended to those of you who spent all day manning the tent at HEB to the Pantry Manager Stanley Bell; H.E.B. Grocers; helpers sorting food at Falls County Samaritan House here in Marlin; individuals; students and teachers from Marlin School; Lions Club; churches; Girl Scouts; ladies’ organizations; local plumbers, doctors, ranchers, attorneys, businessmen; Rotary Club; Horseshoe Pitching organization; W. P. Hobby Unit; sororities; foundations; art clubs; Marlin High School AG Class; Sheriff’s Department; Falls County Courthouse staff; title company; Marlin Democrat, and; ULTIMATELY to each resident who bought bags of food and donated funds to continue to buy food.
 
A personal donation of $1,000 was made by Ramona Watson.
 
A special donation of $595 (the largest financial contribution by an organization) by Rotary Club Marlin was presented by Leonard McGowan to Falls County Samaritan House Manager and fellow Rotarian Letitia Estep.
 
A special award of $500 by BancorpSouth Bank in Marlin also was presented to Falls County Samaritan House’s Letitia Estep by Branch Manager Lori Jackson and CSR/Teller Terra Coker.
 
Co-Chairpersons of the Food for Families food drive for Falls County Samaritan House were Anthony Roppolo and Letitia Estep.