Food For Families is an annual project for the Longhorn Council, Scouting America; H.E.B. Grocery Company; and KWTX News 10. Together with food pantries across Central Texas, this one-day food drive collects non-perishable food and stocks the shelves of area food banks and pantries beyond the holiday season.
Next Event: NOVEMBER 21, 2025
On the Friday before Thanksgiving, volunteers from the Scouting of America Longhorn Council, H.E.B. Grocery Company, and other community organizations collect food in 9 counties in the largest one-day food drive in Texas.
All donated food serves the people in the county in which it was collected. Central Texans have generously donated food and money totaling more than one million pounds each year for the past seven years. In 2024, almost 2 million pounds of food were collected.
What’s Needed?
Canned Meats, Tuna, Chili, Stew, Chicken, Canned Vegetables, Sugar, Corn Meal, Pasta, Pasta Sauce, Cereals, Flour, Peanut Butter, Dry Beans, Flour, Rice
Where Can I Drop-Off Prior To The Event?
- Baylor Scott & White Hillcrest Clinic - Bellmead - 851 N. Loop 340, Waco, TX 76705
- Baylor Scott & White Hillcrest Clinic - Bosque - 7300 Bosque Blvd., Waco, TX 76710
- Baylor Scott & White Hillcrest Clinic - China Spring - 9821 China Spring Hwy., Waco, TX 76708
- Baylor Scott & White Hewitt Clinic - 510 N. Hewitt Dr., Hewitt, TX 76643
- Baylor Scott & White Hillcrest Clinic - Hewitt - 1001 Hewitt Drive, Waco, TX 76712
- Baylor Scott & White Hillcrest Clinic - Marketplace - 2304 Marketplace Drive, Waco, TX 76711
- Baylor Scott & White Hillcrest Clinic - Midway - 7702 Central Park Drive, Waco, TX 76712
- Baylor Scott & White Waco Family Med - 7700 Fish Pond Rd., Waco, TX 76710
- CTWP - Waco - 3730 Franklin Ave., Waco 76710
- CTWP - Temple - 1505 W. Ave. M, Temple 76504
Where Can I Drop-Off During the Event?
- BELTON - Helping Hands Ministry - 2210 Holland Road, Belton, TX
- CAMERON - Blessings from God - Brookshires Parking Lot, 1603 W. 4th, Cameron, TX
- CLIFTON - Clifton Food Pantry - 303 S. Ave. G in Clifton
- COPPERAS COVE - HEB - 2990 U.S. Hwy 190, Copperas Cove, TX
- FAIRFIELD - River of Life Family Worship Center - 1201 E. Commerce, Fairfield, TX
- GATESVILLE - Gatesville Care Center - Fire Dept at 109 S. 23rd St, Gatesville, TX
- GROESBECK - Fishes & Loaves - Church on the Rock 1470 N Hwy 14, Groesbeck, TX
- HILLSBORO - Hillsboro Interfaith Ministry - Scout Hut, 915 Corsicana Hwy., Hillsboro, TX
- KILLEEN - Food Care Center - 210 N. 16th St., Killeen, TX
- MARLIN - HEB Store - 435 Live Oak, Marlin, TX
- MCGREGOR - McGregor Food Pantry / Rhett Revolution - 416 W. 2nd St., McGregor, TX
- MERIDIAN - North Bosque Helping Hands - 415 S. Hill St., Meridian, TX
- MEXIA - Caritas of Mexia - 111 N. Paris, Mexia, TX
- NOLANVILLE - 300 W. Ave. I, Nolanville, TX
- RIESEL – 5 Loaves and 2 Fish Food Pantry (7a-8p) 207 E. Frederick Street, Riesel, TX
- SALADO - First Baptist Church (8a-6p) - Brookshire Brothers, 215 Mill Creek Dr., Salado, TX
- TEMPLE - Operation Feeding Temple (6a-7p) - Baylor Scott & White Medical Ctr., 2401 S. 31st St, Temple
- WACO - KWTX Main Studios (6a – 7p) - 6700 American Plaza, Waco, TX 76712
- WHITNEY - Our Daily Bread - 100 Sims Drive, Whitney, TX
Financial Support
Every dollar counts!
ONLINE MONETARY DONATIONS OPEN NOVEMBER 1, 2025
History
2025 marks the 36th year of Food For Families in Central Texas. The rapidly increasing number of “new poor” appearing at area food banks and the plea from those food pantries for help prompted News 10 to initiate Food For Families in November 1990. Designed to stock the shelves of area food pantries beyond the holiday season, Food For Families gathered 84,435 pounds of food the first year.
In several counties, no food pantry existed prior to Food For Families. Caritas in Waco and the Food Center in Killeen helped establish food pantries in the counties where none existed.
The project began as a 7-county drive with the Waco Board of Realtors joining News 10 as a partner in the first year. H.E.B. Food Stores became the third partner in 1991.
In 1995, the Waco Association of Realtors left the project to pursue other efforts and the Heart ‘O Texas Council, Boy Scouts of America became the third partner of Food For Families.
Texas Army National Guardsmen had been volunteering for Food For Families for several years but complicated federal legislation limited their participation. In late 1998, the Secretary of the Army granted special permission for the Texas Army National Guard to become our fourth partner. In 2016, the changing world picture and federal rules limited Guard participation. In the summer of 2017, the Texas Army National Guard was forced to focus their efforts on military duties and dropped out of Food For Families.
Television news reporters and anchors broadcast from every televised site. Volunteers from the Boy Scouts and H.E.B. Grocery Company are joined by other community service organization volunteers to help at the collection sites. The food collected in each county remains in that county for distribution by local nonprofit organizations.
Food For Families has grown to become the largest one-day food drive in Texas, encompassing 9-counties with 19 televised sites in Central Texas. In 2024, Food For Families gathered 1,941,129 pounds of food. In its 35-year history, Food For Families has gathered 42,378,390 pounds of food.