Clay County Farm Bureau (CFB) recently donated more than 50 pounds of hamburger meat to the county food bank, an act Clay CFB President Tommy Henderson described as “just neighbors helping neighbors.”

As the effects of COVID-19 continue to trickle down throughout the economy, many people are out of work or have had their hours reduced, he explained.

“With a lot of people’s jobs going away, we knew we wanted to help out locally,” he said. “So, we asked our food bank what was most needed, and they said they really needed more hamburger meat.”

To avoid depleting the local grocery store’s supplies, Henderson made a trip to Wichita Falls. After explaining his intent, a supermarket there allowed him to purchase 43 packages of ground beef at a discounted price.

Henderson and Clay CFB Vice President Scott Cleveland delivered the meat to the food bank last week, giving area hungry families a much-needed protein option.

“We’re all beef producers on our county board, so I felt like it was not only fulfilling a need for the food bank, but it was something we’re very proud to give,” Henderson said.

The county Farm Bureau leaders hope to be able to make another sizable beef donation in the next few weeks, he added. Local Boy Scouts also recently held a canned food drive, but meat is always in short supply for the food bank.

“We all get down on our luck at some point or another,” Henderson said. “We’re all in this together, so we try to help out where we can.”

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