logo
Central Texas Food Bank to distribute food in counties impacted by flooding

Central Texas Food Bank to distribute food in counties impacted by flooding

Yahoo2 days ago
AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Central Texas Food Bank, or CTFB, announced it would hold special emergency distributions for three counties impacted by the July 4 floods.
BLOG: Search for missing continues July 10 as Texas community grieves
CTFB said its first distribution would take place in Burnet County Friday from 1-2 p.m. at 549 East Farm-to-Market Road 243 in Bertram. The second distribution will take place Monday in Llano County from 4-6 p.m. at the Kingsland Community Center located at 3451 Rose Hill Drive.
Travis County will also have daily distributions, with no fixed hours, at the Round Mountain Baptist Church at 14500 Round Mountain Road in Leander, according to CTFB.
In San Saba, distributions will be held Saturday, July 12, from 1-2 p.m. at First Methodist Church San Saba, located at 204 W. Brown Street.
The final location is in Andice on Tuesday, July 15, from 9 – 10 a.m. at Santa Rosa de Lima Catholic Church, located at 6571 FM 970.
How to help local Texas communities impacted by flooding
'We recognize that in times like these, having access to nutritious food and clean water can help restore strength, stability, and a sense of normalcy during a time of crisis,' said Sari M. Vatske, Central Texas Food Bank president and CEO.
As of Thursday, Travis County confirmed there have been seven people killed and 10 missing after the July 4 flooding event. Burnet County said five people were killed and one person is missing, which is Michael Phillips, the chief of the Marble Falls Area Volunteer Fire Department.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

How This New Orleans Chef Broke An 86-Year Void
How This New Orleans Chef Broke An 86-Year Void

Forbes

time26 minutes ago

  • Forbes

How This New Orleans Chef Broke An 86-Year Void

Dwynesha 'Dee' Lavigne opened the first African American-owned cooking school in New Orleans in 86 ... More years, continuing the legacy of pioneering chef Lena Richard. Dwynesha 'Dee' Lavigne remembers the moment everything changed. She was standing in a Whole Foods walk-in cooler, tears streaming down her face, listening to her 15-month-old son's laughter through a phone call. Her mother-in-law had captured the sound—pure joy, infectious and unrehearsed—and Lavigne realized she was missing something irreplaceable. Twenty minutes later, she walked upstairs and informed the team she was leading that she was quitting her job. 'You're gonna be fine,' she told them. At the time, she was wrong about her team, but right about herself. That decision in 2014 would eventually lead Lavigne to become the second African American woman to own a cooking school in New Orleans since 1937, breaking an 86-year silence that speaks to both the city's complex racial history and its evolving culinary landscape. Today, from the kitchens of the Southern Food and Beverage Museum in Central City, Lavigne runs Deelightful Roux School of Cooking, the only African American-owned cooking school in New Orleans. Her students gather around stainless steel counters, learning to build layers of flavor in jambalaya while Lavigne weaves together technique and history, personal narrative and cultural preservation. But to understand why this matters—why one woman's cooking school represents something larger than knife skills and gumbo recipes—you have to go back to the Ninth Ward, where Lavigne learned that food is never really just about food. Lavigne grew up in a four-bedroom house with seven siblings, where her mother performed daily culinary miracles. 'She cooked two meals most days,' Lavigne recalls. 'The kids would eat right when we got home from school, then my dad would eat when he got home from work.' With eight children and two working parents, efficiency was survival. But it was Lavigne's paternal grandmother who changed everything. When Dee was 10 years old, her father gave her an ultimatum: 'I want you to start hanging out with my mom. I want her to show you how to make some of my favorite things.' But Lavigne recalled that this grandmother wasn't exactly warm and fuzzy. 'She wasn't this sweet little old lady,' Lavigne remembers. 'She was the stern one who would say, 'You do what I say, you do it now, or there will be trouble.'' Every Saturday became a cooking boot camp. Peach cobbler. Blackberry dumplings. Techniques passed down through generations, refined through repetition and perfected under the watchful eye of a woman who demanded excellence. 'Eventually she taught me pretty much everything I know about baking,' Lavigne the family's food journey took an unexpected turn when Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005. Lavigne had come home to help her sister and got trapped by the storm. For Lavigne, the experience would culminate in 22 hours of driving to escape, sleeping in a makeshift church shelter and telling her mother that she had to choose two trash bags worth of possessions from a lifetime of memories. 'That was probably the hardest thing I ever had to tell my mother,' she recalls of surveying the flood damage. 'You can't have any of these things. They're ruined. You can't clean them enough.' Before Katrina—and long before culinary school—Lavigne thought she wanted to be an accountant. But college left her uninspired. 'I didn't like traditional college,' Lavigne says. 'I didn't like anything about it, and I couldn't get ahold of it.' So she did what 17-year-olds do when the heart precedes logic: she followed her heart to Stillwater, Oklahoma, where her high school sweetheart was attending college on a football scholarship. What she found was culture shock. The small town had no alcohol in its grocery stores, everything was closed by six o'clock, and, more egregiously, there was no such thing as red beans in the stores. Chef Dee Lavigne standing in front of artwork. Regardless, Lavigne was determined to make memories that would remind her of home, so one day, she set out to cook red beans and rice—something essential, something that said home. When she arrived at the grocery store, the Oklahoma meat manager had never heard of pickle meat, and after a phone call with Lavigne's grocer back in New Orleans, he told her bluntly, 'You ain't gonna find nothin' like that around here.' So that night, she settled for smoked turkey wings and regular red kidney beans that refused to break down properly. The result was okay, but more importantly, it worked. Soon, professors were asking her boyfriend about his dinner plans. Students called the house wanting to know the next menu, and word soon spread across campus that there was a girl from New Orleans making real southern food. That first cooking mishap led Lavigne to Meridian Technology Center's culinary program. It was love at first sight,' she says. 'It took me back to being seven, remembering why food had always awakened something in me. After marrying her high school boyfriend, Lavigne convinced him to leave Oklahoma's flatlands for New York's Hudson Valley, where she would enroll at the prestigious Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park. Soon, the campus became her culinary playground. 'It was probably one of the best eating experiences of my life,' she recalls, where she sampled everything from molecular gastronomy to traditional French techniques, gaining 20 pounds in her first four months as she ate her way through an international curriculum. The path from Oklahoma to owning a cooking school wound through years of management positions at Whole Foods, the birth of two sons and eventually the launch of Deelightful Cupcakes in 2016. Operating out of the Southern Food and Beverage Museum's commissary kitchen, she built a thriving business with contracts from 1-800 Flowers and Shari's Berries. Then came 2020 and the pandemic. 'COVID really broke the business,' she admits. 'Everyone was at home. There were no office parties or social events. I knew I had to figure something out.' The answer came through an unexpected phone call from the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. Dr. Ashley Rose Young from the National Museum of American History wanted Lavigne to voice a podcast about Chef Lena Richard, the first African American woman to own a cooking school in New Orleans, who had opened her doors in 1937. Richard had opened her cooking school in 1937 specifically for Black students, teaching 'men and women the art of food preparation and serving in order that they would become capable of preparing and serving food for any occasion and also that they might be in a position to demand higher wages.' She became the first African American to host a cooking show on television in 1949—a decade before Julia Child—and built an empire that included restaurants, catering businesses and an international frozen food what struck Lavigne most was that Richard's school had educated young African Americans with culinary and hospitality skills needed for employment in the Jim Crow South. At the time, her motive was to teach cooking and economic empowerment, especially in an era where the latter was far-fetched. Making History on 2/2/22 Reading Richard's words for the Smithsonian podcast changed everything. Lavigne began researching obsessively, understanding that she wasn't just learning about a historical figure, but also discovering a paradigm for what she wanted to build. On February 2, 2022, Lavigne opened Deelightful Roux School of Cooking. She chose February for Black History Month, the second day, because she's only the second African American woman to own a cooking school in New Orleans since Chef Lena Richard, and 2022, so the date would never be forgotten. 'We are known as two-two-twenty-two,' she says. 'We make history every day.' The numbers themselves tell a somber story. It took 86 years for another Black woman to open a cooking school in New Orleans. In a city where African American influences permeate every aspect of cuisine—from the holy trinity of vegetables to the techniques for making roux—the absence of Black ownership in culinary education represents a gap that Lavigne is determined to fill. 'Our faces are the faces of cuisines, of restaurants, of catering companies that we didn't have ownership of,' she explains. 'How can you build a legacy or leave a legacy if it's not even yours?' Today, Lavigne's classes incorporate hands-on cooking lessons with cultural storytelling. Students learn to make Creole Okra Gumbo while hearing about the city's layered racial history. They perfect their roux technique while understanding how enslaved Africans contributed fundamental elements to what we now call Creole cuisine. As the President of the New Orleans chapter of Les Dames d'Escoffier, the international women in hospitality non-profit founded in 1973, Lavigne has positioned herself not just as a chef-instructor but as an advocate for broader representation in the culinary world. The cooking school operates three days a week, attracting the culinary tourists that New Orleans & Company counts as vital to the city's $10.5 billion tourism economy. But for Lavigne, the measure of success isn't in visitor numbers but in changing what seems possible. 'If you don't know it's possible by someone that looks like you, it feels impossible to every other kid that may want to do that,' she says. 'I'm here to inspire and say, you can still do it.' In the museum's exhibits, visitors can learn about Lena Richard's groundbreaking career, her iconic cookbook that challenged racist stereotypes and her television show that brought Creole cooking to living rooms across the South. But downstairs in the kitchen, Lavigne brings that legacy to life in real time. Lavigne maintains a close friendship with Richard's granddaughter and continues working with the Smithsonian on projects that preserve and celebrate Richard's contributions. She's acutely aware that she stands on shoulders—not just Richard's, but those of countless unnamed cooks whose skills and creativity shaped one of America's most distinctive regional cuisines. 'I often think about how my life would have changed to know that a lady in the city I grew up in was doing what she was doing,' Lavigne reflects. 'As a young girl, would I have just not wanted to be an accountant? Would I have just stayed and stuck to making good food?' It's a hypothetical question, but for the next generation, the answer could change everything. Every student who takes Lavigne's class, every young person who sees a Black woman owning and operating a cooking school in New Orleans, receives a different message about what's possible. 'I would never have said I would own a cooking school,' Lavigne admits. 'But here I am now, running one, and I love the fact that you can have a dream of something you've never dreamed of.' In a city that markets its food culture globally while still wrestling with questions of Black ownership and representation, Lavigne has created a space where history is honored and futures are reimagined. She teaches people to cook but also empowers them to understand that ownership is possible, that legacies can be built and that sometimes the most important ingredient in any recipe is the audacity to believe you belong in the kitchen.

Dear Abby: I don't know how I'll survive if Social Security gets cut
Dear Abby: I don't know how I'll survive if Social Security gets cut

Yahoo

time39 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Dear Abby: I don't know how I'll survive if Social Security gets cut

DEAR ABBY: My spouse and I are retired and on Social Security. We've both worked hard all our lives and are content living a modest retirement. Our house is paid for, and we have little debt. However, we're both experiencing physical and mental decline. I worry about our house. We aren't able to clean and maintain it like we used to because of our physical limitations. We used to have parties, but we're embarrassed to have people over now, which means we're kind of isolated. We also worry that our Social Security and Medicare benefits will be stripped away. We rely on them to live. We both paid into the system since age 15. Shouldn't we expect to reap the benefits of paying into the system all these years? We worry all the time about the future, which seems so grim right now. Even if we can survive the next few years, I'm increasingly concerned about the disintegration of our home. I am not sure where to turn. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. — WORRIED ABOUT THE FUTURE DEAR WORRIED: If there is a senior center in your community, reach out and ask if there are any services that could assist you in finding reasonably priced help with your house. As to your embarrassment about entertaining friends, that concern may be you want company, invite friends over for afternoon tea, a picnic or a barbecue outside if the weather permits. Regarding your anxiety about Social Security, you are far from alone in feeling worried. Approximately 70 million American seniors are worrying right along with you. Every senior should be writing to their local politicians, their state representatives, congresspersons and senators reminding them that those benefits were paid for and, if they are interfered with, it could cost them the next election. DEAR ABBY: I'm a single, never married man. I was having trouble finding a nice woman to date, so I bought a T-shirt from a dating website to show the women at the grocery and hardware stores that I'm single and looking for a date. I now have a new problem — women at the hardware store and grocery stores keep coming up to me, asking about my shirt and trying to get a date with me. I am grateful for it, although I'm having trouble deciding which one I want to go out with. How do I tell the ones I am not interested in that I'm busy or seeing someone else? They don't want to take no for an answer. — FLOODED IN FLORIDA DEAR FLOODED: Stop saying no so quickly. If you are looking for someone special, you are going to have to do some sifting. As you will discover, dating is a process of trial and error. You may find your taste in women will change if you experience a few of them (or more). P.S. I'm sorry you didn't mention which website you bought that T-shirt from. Do they also come in women's sizes? Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.

Live updates: Disaster response under scrutiny after catastrophic Texas floods
Live updates: Disaster response under scrutiny after catastrophic Texas floods

CNN

timean hour ago

  • CNN

Live updates: Disaster response under scrutiny after catastrophic Texas floods

Update: Date: less than 1 min ago Title: Power now restored to Camp Mystic site Content: Power has been restored to Camp Mystic, the nearly 100-year-old camp on the banks of the Guadeloupe River that lost 27 campers and counselors as well as longtime co-director Dick Eastland during flash flooding on July 4. 'We have restored power at Camp Mystic for the primary purpose of communicating with our Mystic family,' the camp said on its website. Leaders of the Christian camp cited a bible verse that said 'You are the light of the world.' 'Our Mystic girls will forever shine just like Matthew 5:14-16,' the camp message said. In a subsequent post over the weekend, the camp thanked the efforts of its counselors to save campers during the flooding. 'We want to take time as we continue to grieve the loss of our precious girls, to thank all of our counselors that embodied the Mystic Spirit and put their campers first as they guided them to safety,' camp leaders wrote. 'There are many counselors and others that we claim as heroes that night and we will be forever grateful.' Update: Date: 18 min ago Title: More rain pummels flood-ravaged central Texas as death toll climbs to 132 Content: At least 150 people are still missing 10 days after abysmal flooding devastated central Texas, claiming at least 132 lives. Heavy rain is pounding some of the same areas already devastated by the July 4 floods, including Kerr County – where more than 100 people were killed in the flooding. Now, county commissioners are set to have their first official meeting since the disaster. Here's what to know for today: Fresh flooding: 'A dangerous situation is occurring' in parts of central Texas, including southwest Kerr County, the National Weather Service's Austin/San Antonio office said Monday morning. 'More heavy rain is on the way. Flooding is already happening.' An important meeting: The Kerr County commissioners' court will have its first bimonthly meeting Monday since more than 100 people died in the county and officials came under scrutiny over flood preparations. The commissioners' court is the main governing body for the county of about 50,000 people. Presidential visit: President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump visited Kerrville, Texas, on Friday and met with families affected by the flooding. The president commended first responders and expressed condolences for the lives lost. Major disaster declaration: The federal government added additional counties to Trump's major disaster declaration in central Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott said. That allows qualifying Texans who sustained damage to apply for grant funding to assist with repair and recovery expenses. Support and charity: The governor also announced the launch of the Texas Flooding Emotional Support Line, a new crisis support service for affected residents. And the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country said it has received more than $30 million in donations that will be distributed as grants. Update: Date: 34 min ago Title: Kerr County officials will assess flood recovery at a meeting today Content: The Kerr County commissioners will hold a regularly scheduled meeting this morning in the wake of the deadly floods that swept through the central Texas community. The meeting comes as scrutiny intensifies over the disaster response at all levels of government. The commissioners will 'consider, discuss, and take appropriate action following update on status of recovery efforts,' according to the meeting agenda. Local officials are facing questions over their actions in the hours — and even the years — leading up to the catastrophic flooding that killed more than 100 people in the county earlier this month. We will have live coverage starting this morning. Update: Date: 20 min ago Title: Ground searches were temporarily suspended Sunday in Kerrville due to new flood threat Content: Ground search operations were suspended for several hours in Kerrville, Texas, Sunday due to flood danger brought on by another round of storms, authorities said. 'All search crews need to evacuate the river corridor until further notice,' the Kerrville Police Department wrote in a Facebook post that morning. 'Any volunteer search parties in the Guadalupe River corridor need to heed this warning. The potential for a flash flood is high.' Several hours later, the department wrote on its page that the flash flood warning had been lifted. A Kerrville government spokesperson told CNN search operations had resumed. Slow-moving thunderstorms produced heavy rain, flash flooding and rapid river rises across parts of central Texas on Sunday, complicating the recovery from the devastating floods that killed more than 120 people ahead of Fourth of July weekend. The storms prompted evacuations in San Saba County, which is about 2 hours north of Kerrville by car. Update: Date: 23 min ago Title: Slow-moving storms on Sunday trigger more flooding and evacuations in Central Texas Content: Just over a week after deadly flash floods swept through central Texas, slow-moving thunderstorms brought heavy rain, and a potential for flash flooding and rapid river rises to the region Sunday. While the most significant rain happened Sunday morning, more thunderstorms are continuing this morning and rivers are forecast to continue to remain swollen early this week. A flash flood emergency was issued for southeastern San Saba County, including Colorado Bend State Park, where six to eight inches of rain fell in six hours. In Sutton, Texas, flooding caused cars to stall on Interstate 10 and water was approaching some homes, according to the National Weather Service. San Saba County is about three hours north of Kerr County where officials have reported 106 deaths and at least 140 people still missing following flooding on July 4. The state conducted water rescues in San Saba County and nearby Lampasas and Schleicher counties Sunday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said on X. Read more here. Update: Date: 26 min ago Title: FEMA search and rescue teams took days to reach Texas as agency navigates overhaul Content: Multiple urban search and rescue teams from across the country that responded to the deadly floods in central Texas told CNN they were not deployed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency until at least Monday evening — days after any victim had been found alive. CNN has previously reported that the decision to authorize deployments from a federal network of Urban Search and Rescue teams more than 72 hours after the calamity frustrated FEMA officials. In the past, the agency would have quickly staged these teams near disaster zones in anticipation of urgent requests for assistance, they said. Multiple officials also said a new rule requiring DHS Secretary Kristi Noem to sign off on relatively small expenditures from her agency, which oversees FEMA, created bureaucratic hurdles during a critical time. That meant the response was slowed down at a time when quick action was most needed, officials inside FEMA told CNN. What DHS is saying: 'Secretary Noem is leading a historic, first-of-its-kind approach to disaster funding: putting states first by providing upfront recovery support — moving money faster than ever and jump-starting recovery,' a spokesperson for the department said. Noem has defended her handling of the disaster, and the response by FEMA appears consistent with the Trump administration's view for how emergencies should be handled under their vision of a restructured FEMA: States take the lead in the response, and the federal government provides support when necessary.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store