Olney On Air's Podcast
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Olney On Air's Podcast
Olney on Air Episode 3- Guest Julie Nawrocki
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🎙️ New Episode of Olney On Air is Here!
In this episode, we sit down with Julie Nawrocki from the Wichita Falls Area Food Bank to discuss the growing food insecurity issues facing Young County and the important work being done to support local families and communities.
If you would like to help the Food Bank with their mission, please head to their website: www.wfafb.org
We also talk about upcoming community events, ways residents can get involved, and how our community continues working together to make a difference.
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Hello everybody and welcome back to Alney on Air. Kimberly, we survived Memorial Day weekend.
SPEAKER_02We did, although I may still be recovering from barbecue and sunshine. And probably potato salad. Yes, I made it for the first time this weekend. I was very excited and it came out excellent. I loved it so much. What were the special ingredients you put in it? My husband found this really fancy way to do boiled eggs. And I think if you have a really good boiled egg, it really helps. And then a ton of pickles and pickle juice.
SPEAKER_01Oh, that sounds really good.
SPEAKER_02I've never put potato eggs in my potato salad. Oh, it's so good. And then we did, and the recipe told me to add celery, which I've never done before, and that was really good. And then like purple onions.
SPEAKER_01Ooh. So good.
SPEAKER_00That is so making me hungry. Yes. Okay, Memorial Day weekend always feels like the unofficial beginning of summer around here. People are headed to the lake, mowing yards, cooking out, and trying to squeeze every possible minute out of that three-day weekend. That's true.
SPEAKER_02And it is such a busy time in Olni right now. But it's also important to remember why we observed Memorial Day in the first place.
SPEAKER_00Absolutely. It's a day to honor the men and women who gave their lives in military service to our country, and we certainly want to recognize that. And now we roll straight into summer. That's right. School's out, graduations are happening, community events are popping up everywhere. And frankly, the calendar starts moving very quickly.
SPEAKER_02Thankfully, you've packed this week's Alni Enterprise with plenty to talk about.
SPEAKER_00Welcome to Alney on Air, where we talk about what's going on in Alney, Texas. Population 3,200 and who's doing what and why it matters. I'm Kimberly Smith with the Alney Chamber of Commerce. And I'm Gina Keating, editor of the Alney Enterprise.
SPEAKER_02You can watch and stream only on air at we have Spotify, which is Alney on Air, Apple and YouTube, all the same channel name, Alney on Air. We have the first two seasons. This one will be the first two episodes, and this one will be loaded up. We'll have a release by Friday.
SPEAKER_00Great. Yes. I actually got to show off the podcast to my mom and brother and sister-in-law, and they thought it was awesome.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, my uncle in Salt Lake City, Utah. He is ready to go. He's so excited. He used to wake up for the radio show for me. And now, and he's tip he's retired, so he's typically a late riser. So he would have to wake up at one o'clock in the morning. He's so happy that it's he can go back and listen to it later.
SPEAKER_00Yes, exactly. All right. So today we'll talk about this week's newspaper, look ahead at community events and independence day plans, and later we'll be joined by Julie Naraki from the Wichita Falls Area Food Bank. So let's get started. Kimberly, there's quite a bit happening this week. One of the biggest stories involves Alney's new city administrator, Andy Wolf. New leadership is always exciting. It is. And Andy and his family recently arrived in town. He officially began work at City Hall on May 18th. And Will Sadler, our photojournalist who is helping us right now, say hi, Will. Went over to City Hall and snapped his picture. So anyway, we've invited him to be on the podcast, and he said as soon as he kind of gets everything sorted out, he will be here to talk with us.
SPEAKER_02Yes. I know he's getting the lay of the land and learning how things operate, which is really smart. I think Alni has such a unique sort of makeup of the way things run and just figuring out. It's not like you have to memorize how to get around town, but definitely figuring out how the town runs pretty smart.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, we've got a lot going on right now, so I'm sure he's having to delve into a lot of stuff. Anyway, another important story this week involves the Alni Seniors Cub Center. We talked to uh Angela and Valerie last week. Yeah, they were great guests.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, we were so informative, and I think they brought light to a series issue in Alney and County as a whole. So I was really happy to have them on.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, exactly. And so this week's paper talks about some of the fundraising that they're doing, especially the variety show that they will be holding. It's their second annual variety show fundraiser in July, and they're looking for acts.
SPEAKER_02Yes, I'm mostly moonlight at karaoke, so I will not be a part of that. But if you sing, dance, tell jokes, or play music, they would definitely love to hear from you.
SPEAKER_00Or if you're just brave enough to perform. That too. Okay. So another story drawing attention this week involves the Alni Economic Development Corporation. We had Tom Parker, their executive director, on our first episode to talk about the many projects that OEDC has got going on in town. So we've got another exciting development with the Alni Savings Building. We've had many suitors who have looked at that building hoping that they could make something out of it. The OEDC has talked about making it into a senior living space with retail at the bottom, a manufacturing plant. And now we have a tech company that recently toured it.
SPEAKER_02Yes, yes. That is gonna be that definitely catch people's attention. And I have full faith in Tom Parker and all of his nonstop. He's always looking for the next opportunity for Holmy. So I'm pretty excited.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, so one of these days somebody is gonna fall in love with that building and uh realize uh its potential.
SPEAKER_02So that you would think they'd fall in love with the no traffic. Yeah. Come on, man.
SPEAKER_00Exactly. Everything's three minutes away. Come on down. Exactly. So you got there's a lot of opportunity here without all the hassle of a big city. So anyway, so we're uh got our fingers crossed on that one. We haven't heard anything. The representatives came down on Tuesday, uh, looked at the building, and uh so we're waiting with bated breath to see what they have to say about it. Yes, absolutely. Uh anyway, also the OEC uh nominated several board members for the coming year. Actually, they only are gonna have one new one, which is Kyle Henson. He is uh stepping into the position that is being vacated by uh Debbie Shelley, who rolled off the board. Yeah. Oh wow. But we'll have uh the board president uh Johnny Moore and um Clancy Myers is gonna stay on too. Oh, good. Yeah, good. So so we have one new person, and that's Kyle.
SPEAKER_02Great.
SPEAKER_00And they'll they're also continuing renovation work on the old courthouse. They're waiting for a window to be delivered for the tag office. And also there's some asbestos abatement in that building and the old Hamilton Hotel.
SPEAKER_02Yes, we are waiting patiently for that courthouse to be uh to be done and completed. Uh Chamber had has already spoken to Tom about maybe making that the site of a couple of our events, so we are looking forward to that as well as I've seen the plans for the Hamilton Hotel, and that is gonna be such an asset. It is gonna be amazing.
SPEAKER_00Oh, wow. I have not seen the plans.
SPEAKER_02What are they what are in them? What's in them? Well, I think it'll it's gonna be a boutique sort of hotel. They'll have not as many rooms, but they'll have that. They are talking about turning the chamber office up right here where we're in the conference room and expanding that, making it bigger. They'll redo the offices up front, make two offices up front. And some of the plans, I don't know if it will go through or not. They'd even talked about turning our storage area and restoring that theater to where businesses could come and do presentations and have like a seating in there. So it is gonna be just stunning.
SPEAKER_00Wow, I don't think a lot of people know that there is a whole theater behind the chamber office. Yes, yeah, it's beautiful.
SPEAKER_02And if you've been to the paint bar, I know you've seen the ceiling of the paint bar, how they have all those beautiful ceiling tiles. So we have the same thing in our theater back here, but it's of course not been restored. But if they could restore that, it would be just beautiful.
SPEAKER_00Oh, that is so neat. Yeah, that's very involved. And also on the top of the courthouse, there is a giant uh entertainment space, I guess. Yes. That has a kitchen. Yep. I got to walk around in that, and that's pretty cool too. So I hope that all that comes comes true. Thank you, OEDC. Okay, so now speaking of growth, Fort Belknap is moving into the modern era. Woohoo! All right. That's right. So anybody that's who has ever been to Fort Belknap, it's a very cool attraction. We have a museum there, and the whole fort has been kind of restored. There's a lot of cannons and things like that, and it's very informative. But one thing that they just started doing was allowing RVs to park out there for special events, including crawfish and cannons, which just happened last month.
SPEAKER_02Yes, that was really great. Uh that sounds overdue. I know my kids, my kids love it. That is one of their annual field trips that they go on, is to Fort Belknap. So that'd be yeah, they love it out there.
SPEAKER_00There's a lot of cool stuff going on there. Thanks to Jim Hammond, who is the museum director. Anyway, he went to Commissioner's Court this week and or last week and uh asked if they could put the RV reservation system on something called Firefly, which I guess is an online reservation system. Um anyway, he told the commissioners it's 2026 and people want to reserve and pay online. And apparently, next year's Crawfish and Cannons RV sites are already booked.
SPEAKER_01Oh, yeah. Not surprised by that. That is a great event. I love going out there. Yeah, it's pretty cool. I'm a mud bug lover, so me too. Oh, I love them.
SPEAKER_00It's just so frustrating, though. I smell so good and taste so good, but it takes so long to get them peeled or whatever you call it.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, it's totally worth it. I just I because of my nails, I don't like to stuff get under there. So if I go to the crawfish bowl, I have to bring my own gloves, which is fine.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I went to a sishir and I was sitting next to, I'm trying to think, I think it was was it Andy? Yeah, and he showed me how to open them without too much trouble. I think you have to squeeze them yank it. Yeah, and then yank it out. Anyway, it was so good. Yeah, okay. So, next item the commissioner's court is preparing for what county judge Wynne Graham is calling a tight budget year. That word gets everybody's attention for sure. Yeah, it does. Inflation and slower property value growth could make the budget season more challenging than recent years. That's what he said. And the commissioners also nominated Donette Wiley to the Young County Appraisal District Board. Donette will runs uh OnlyFuel. Yes. Yeah. So is she a member? They are. Yes, they are members. They're chamber members.
SPEAKER_02Okay, yes, and her daughter-in-law Tatum has been on our board for a really long time, and I just love Donette. So congratulations to her.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yes. Thank you for serving. Meanwhile, Only Firefighters responded to a shed fire on South Avenue F. We have a photo of that thanks to Will. Thankfully, no injuries. Thank you, Will. Thankfully, no injuries were reported. Yes, we're very grateful for our first responders. Absolutely. And finally, congratulations go out to Caitlin Bailey, who graduated as a valedictorian and Cisco High School. She was here in Alney for a long time with her family, Jake and Holly Bailey, who ran Hometown Coffee and Tea for a long time until the uh I'm having a brain cramp. They sold to Dustin Hudson. Dustin Alisa Hudson. Yes. Yeah, that's wonderful. Congratulations to her. Yes, it's it is really amazing. She moved from Alney to Cisco and not only adjusted, she excelled.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, far beyond to go over there. She, I don't know when she had time to sleep. No, she got everything done. I don't either.
SPEAKER_00So her dad sent me a list of all of her honors for her senior year, and I just can't believe it. And she's going to my alma mater, which University of Texas at Austin. Woohoo! Hook away porns, baby. So she's gonna have a wonderful time in Austin, I'm sure. Oh my gosh, I love it there. Okay. All right. So now normally we do we feature business of the week, but today we are talking Independence Day.
SPEAKER_02Yes, Alni in America is coming. We actually do it on Thursday, July 2nd, but we love that we get to kick start 4th of July. This year's celebration, as usual, take place at the Alni Country Club. And so we're really looking forward to it. It is our biggest event of the year by far. We have seen uh gradual numbers going up every single year. Oh, really?
SPEAKER_00Okay, look for people who do not know what Alni in America is, can you give us a little history of it and what what goes on?
SPEAKER_02So it is Alni's, uh it's a community event. Uh we don't we it's not you don't have to pay to get in. So every year we have uh multiple music acts. We'll we usually try to get openers from around here as well as our our headliner. So this year we actually have King George, the George Strait Tribute Band. They yeah, that I'm really excited for this. Oh boy, that's gonna be good. I know. So they actually performed at the Archer County Rodeo. One of our board members saw them and said they were a huge crowd favorite, so we're bringing them on. So we have live music, we have a number of food trucks that come out, we have some of our nonprofits, my cheerleaders, the top of Texas cheerleaders, they'll be there. That's one of their fundraisers. I know the varsity cheerleaders come out, some of the businesses send up vendor booths, uh, and then we end the night with a massive fireworks display. That's 10 minutes of like the biggest fireworks ever. So we are so proud that we get to host something like that for the community every year. Uh we do have VIP tents available. We uh it's a limited space. So if you want to get one of those, make sure you reach out to the chamber at f645445, as well as we have the VIP parking, and what that means is you get up-close parking, and then we have the junior class, they ride the golf, we all have the golf carts and we cart people up the hill. Because if you've been on that hill at the country club, good night. It is rough. So we cart people on up to the top of the hill.
SPEAKER_00Yes, okay, that sounds great. The this year you went to the commissioner's court and got a little extra money. What was that all about?
SPEAKER_02So we have shown because of our numbers and the bigger that we get, we were able to show the commissioner's court that we bring people from out of town that come here for this event as we get bigger. So, what we asked for was for a little help to pay for our music acts as well as that help fund our marketing. So we are so grateful to the commissioner's court for helping us and really including all me and the young county commissioners. They actually from this point on every year we'll be able to go to them.
SPEAKER_00Oh, that's so great. Okay, so let's talk about attendance. So this has been going on for what, like five years? This is our sixth year.
SPEAKER_02They started it in 2020, I believe. Okay. Yeah, because I had just moved here and they started it. And when they first started it, we've had to make some adjustments along the way. So when they first started it, their idea was just to have it be an all-day thing. Uh and that's just because it's the Thursday, not as many people can attend. Uh it's the Thursday before the Fourth of July every year. And I know people always ask us why Thursday, why not Friday or Saturday? So our fireworks guy, we have to reserve him out, and that's the way that we've reserved the Thursday before the fourth every year.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, and you know what? A lot of people go out of town for Fourth of July weekend, so it really turns out pretty well. But the attendance has climbed every year, yes, except last year.
SPEAKER_02Well, even last year, we had a ton of cars sitting in the in parking waiting for that rain to stop, and we had a torrential downpour that never stopped, which is very unlike Texas. So that was a bummer for everybody. I know we were all looking forward to Aaron Watson. Uh, I do want to say to all of the sponsors from last year that sponsored that. Thank you so much for sponsoring. They made it possible for us to even bring Aaron Watson. And I know it didn't work out, but we're hoping to make up for it. And we just want to say thank you to all the sponsors last year that really always make the event possible. Let's talk.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, let's talk about the sponsors because we got some really good ones. Tower does the is it tower or air tractor that does the fireworks?
SPEAKER_02Tower does the fireworks. Uh then we have Air Tractor. They do they help with the music acts and with all those things. And then Razus is also a really huge sponsor for us every year. They always sponsor the community tent as well as they provide Wi-Fi for everybody out there. So that makes it really easy for our vendors. So if they're trying to get onto their payment portals, then it makes it to where there's no laps and you're not buffering out there because the service isn't that great. So I want to say thank you to them. Um, we have a ton of sponsors. Uh, as we get closer, I'll be listing off. But we already have Brazos, Tower, Air Tractor. We actually signed on uh Zach Burkett this year, who they uh did a sponsorship. Who uh Dulcionis uh is one of our sponsors, Ace Hardware Only was a big sponsor, and as they come in, we'll keep making sure we mention those people.
SPEAKER_00Okay, so what about the food trucks?
SPEAKER_02What do we got on tap for this year so far? Okay, so we have the big lemon truck, then we have that truck is really cool because it's just a huge lemon. Then we have uh Den and Joe's Jetty Joint, then we have uh Ken's chicken and fish, which is always a big favorite. Yes. We're talking to Tom's Kettle Corn to have him come out again. Oh, I love that stuff. I know, it's so good. It's terrible for my diet, but it's fine. It's just one day. Homemade. Yeah, yeah. I will eat a whole bag of that in a day. It's so addictive. My kids love it too, and I just I have to just take my bites before they see the bag because then they'll just eat all of it. But then we also I'll reach out to some of the ones from last year, make sure that they come back out. And then also, I'm trying to think who else we have. Oh, and then this year we will actually bring out we had a photo booth last year, uh-huh, but this year we're gonna bring them out again. We're gonna try this again. And so what they'll do is they'll make those little uh photo 360 photo booth pictures, and so they'll have 4th of July patriotic props for people. Uh-huh. There will be a song for it. So it'll be only five bucks, and you get to and you the platform you can fit three or four people up there and then they send it straight to your phone. Oh, that's so neat! And yeah, so there'll be music over it so everybody can share it. And so please use our hashtag only in America and just tag that whenever you share those pictures. So that will be something new that we'll have out there this year. That is super cool. That's photo bombs. Yeah, it's uh called Properzi, but it's a 360 photo booth. Okay. Oh my gosh, that's gonna be great. Yeah, so we'll have the only in America uh song playing in the background of the videos, and it's gonna be really fun. That I saw them at Graham's Cinco de Mayo celebration last year, and I was like, we've got to bring them on. Oh, that is so neat. Yes, I can't wait. So yeah, so just bring your lawn chairs, lots of sunscreen, be ready, no umbrellas, please, no umbrella. Hopefully, we don't need umbrellas. But yeah, so just and also if anybody would like to volunteer, we always have a lot of uh residents will come and bring their side by sides or their golf carts, and they can help us get people up to the top of the hill. We're always usually looking for volunteers. Yeah, that is good.
SPEAKER_00And you usually have the volunteer fire department helps with parking.
SPEAKER_02Yes, they so what they do is they organize all the parking for us, and we also have them on hand when we do the fireworks just in case. But yeah, so that is one of their fundraisers, and every money, all the money that you tip them, that goes straight into their fund.
SPEAKER_00So it just helps a lot of people. I mean, this is a great opportunity to get the not just get the community together, but also help all these organizations that help us during the year.
SPEAKER_02Yes, absolutely.
SPEAKER_00Okay. And also I just gotta give a shout out to the fireworks guy because those fireworks are world class.
SPEAKER_02Yes, yeah, and it does cost a pretty penny, but I think it's really worth it. And it brings it here in only where I don't think outside of that we would be able to those fireworks are so expensive. Not to mention if we're in a burn band, you can't even light them. So I think it's great that we have something here in Little All Only, yeah, where they get to watch these awesome fireworks.
SPEAKER_00I know it. You don't have to drive very far. You lived in Austin, I lived in LA, and trying to get to a fireworks display on 4th of July was a pain. Hard pass, yeah.
SPEAKER_02No, I would just mostly we just found friends of the country. We would just go out there, but it is so crazy because you'd have to get there. If it's the event starts at five, they drive there, you have to say, okay, we're gonna leave here at like 3:30. Yeah. And then you have to account for parking, so you might as well get there at two, just so you can have a spot. Yeah. And then getting out of there is a whole train wreck as well. So I usually bypass those things. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00So this is the most comfortable, fun event ever, super safe, right in the middle of the golf course. Horde-potties, you got food. Oh, yeah. And also they sell uh beer, right?
SPEAKER_02They're yes, the full bar at the country club is open while we're doing the event. Yes. So it's gonna be just Oh, yeah. Shout out to the country club for always letting us do the event out there. Yep. Uh, because we just take over the whole course for for like days. Thank you, Landon.
SPEAKER_00Thank you, everybody at the Alni Country Club, for letting us have the event out there. And thank you for to Alni Police Department because they show up. Every single officer comes and makes sure that we're all safe and everything is fine. So thanks in advance, Chief Barrett. Yeah, absolutely. Okay. And now we are joined by our first guest, our only guest for this episode, uh Julie Naraki from Wichita Falls Area Food Bank, who is joining us via Zoom. Julie Naraki, Director of Philanthropy for the Wichita Falls Area Food Bank, thank you so much for joining us today and for the work you and your organization are doing across North Texas. Thank you on behalf of our organization for having us and also shedding light uh around the hunger in Oli, but also the other counties that we have the privilege to serve this morning.
SPEAKER_02Yes, absolutely. I think it affects more families than many people realize. So we're so happy you're on and able to bring some light to this issue for us.
SPEAKER_00Oh, thank you. Okay, so for people who may not know much about Wichita Falls Area Food Bank, tell us a little about the organization and the region that you serve. Sure, so our Wichita Falls area food bank is based in Wichita County. We serve a total of 12 counties, and really the main focus and importance of our organization is being able to serve those neighbors and areas that we refer to as food deserts. You know, outside of Wichita, many of those are rural and they have very limited access to nutritious foods.
SPEAKER_02I think some people picture a food bank as a warehouse just handing out food directly, but your organization operates very differently. Can you explain how the food bank works and the network of partners involved?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, and how thanks for really bringing that to light because when you drive past our building, it's very deceiving because it does, in fact, look like a warehouse. Think of us as really a hub, and we sold over 90 community partners. So let's just take for example there the senior cub center. Okay, they are able to get the food out to our Alni-based neighbors, particularly seniors, because they drive to the doors of our food bank. And what's really important to highlight is due to an anonymous donor, uh, there's no security handling fees for the food. So the only cost to those 90 plus community partners, all of all of the community partners there and OLI that you serve, it's just the cost of fuel and gas to get to our doors. And then it's really a reinvestment back into the local neighbors there because they're receiving all of that food at no cost there. That's that was great. Yeah, it's so helpful. Wow. And Valerie Maylor and Angela Locker, the board member director of the Cub Center, who was on last week, was telling us that they drive up there twice a month, take whatever food they need. Uh, and it's been critical just because the but their budget for food has grown. I think it's, did she say it's doubled? Yeah, over the last seven years. It's just uh, you know, I don't they were saying that they, you know, probably couldn't opt service people had had it not been for the food bank. We do so much more than those shelf stable items. So when those 90 plus community partners like the senior cub center come through our doors, we have a pick and way area. So they're able to look through fresh produce, proteins that we have. So if there's meals that they're preparing or they just want to have items outside of what our neighbors may already have in their pantries, they have the option to do that.
SPEAKER_02Yes, that always stood out to me was what for me, especially for the senior cub center. I know that y'all have even meals and sort of food that I don't think otherwise they may not have been able to afford those things. I know produce is super expensive. And I just love that every time we would go in there, I mean, some great, great options for all of the, for all of y'all's partners. I just love that that it was otherwise they may not have been able to afford those things.
SPEAKER_00And then also just thinking about everyone's diet. You know, how how does everyone really thrive? They really have to be having food that has nutritious value to it, and that's in fruits and vegetables, and as we all know, those proteins, which for all of us have been the most expensive items when we go through a retailer to purchase. So just going back to something that you said earlier, which is food deserts in rural areas. What exactly is a food desert? So, you know, this is uh a statistic that it's it's really shocking, still shocking to me when mine share it. We only have five counties that have what qualify as supermarkets. So, what does that mean for our neighbors? A lot of these areas they might have a little market store, but what's happening there? So if you don't have a major retailer like Walmart, Sands, uh, even a uh a stable supermarket, it's very limited variety, but then it's also the cost of that. And then we have also those neighbors in those rural areas, uh, issues with mobility, where they might be having to travel 45 minutes to an hour and able to get to those more nutritious food options. So the reason why we have the 15 highest food insecurity rate in the nation because of the 12 counties we serve is is very much because we are so rural-based. My gosh, so it's five of the 12 that you serve. Yes, have supermarkets. And we're lucky Young County has Walmart, but we also have Stewards next door here in Almeida. When you were here last summer, you and CEO David O'Neill came to town to talk about food insecurity in the Young County, and I was there. It was really remarkable what you were saying last summer about the rising rate of food insecurity at that time. Can you talk a little bit more about what's happened since then and you know what you're seeing in Alni? So, what I've been sharing with you are statistics that we have pulled from 2024 to 2025. So, what we're seeing is about a 15% service increase. Uh, and that includes only, but that also reaches across those 12 total counties. Are you seeing people that you haven't seen before? Is that what you're saying? We actually do not have a high repeat return rate. What we're seeing is that, let's say, for an example, a senior has just experienced some kind of medical condition, or they have a medication that they have to go on, and so they're really forced to choose between certain food items in the grocery store. And what we flee to is it only, but then across those other counties, is that families have a certain threshold, and they just are they just don't have the extra to be able to absorb those extra expenses. And when they do, they're really having to cut into things like what items am I choosing in the grocery store? I'm sure they like to reach for the dairy and the eggs and some of those fresh staples for their family, fruits and vegetables and proteins, like we mentioned, but they just are not having the bandwidth to do it. And that's why the services of the food bank are so imperative. But I do like to really emphasize that I think it's easy to believe that we're serving the same neighbors time over time, and that is not the case. You know, how can we help these people to get the nutrition that they need? I think the biggest piece is the awareness of what's going on in our communities and knowing what resources are available. I really can't emphasize enough the importance of advocacy and the responsibility that we all have as neighbors just because we ourselves are not necessarily experiencing hunger or having. So you can refer and pass on that information for neighbors such as seniors who are able to take advantage of all the services available, whether that be the food bank, meals on wheels, again, all of the pantries that we support, because then they have access to food really Monday through Saturday when needed. Another thing that Valerie and Angela were saying is that people are they become very ashamed of not having enough food or enough money.
SPEAKER_02Yes, we've all, I mean, we've all felt inflation over the last few years. I have a family of six, and the dollars just don't stretch as far as they used to. Food prices remain high, fuel costs make everything from farming to transportation even more expensive. How are rising prices affecting both the families you serve and the food bank itself?
SPEAKER_00Sure. Yeah, and and so, and Gina, I I just want to, you know, touch real quickly um, you know, what you mentioned. I what I can tell you about my time here at the food bank, I've been here about three years. I applaud neighbors that are able to come forward and say, hey, I need a little extra, because it's really difficult to ask for help. Many of our neighbors, they're experiencing life changes when they reach out, whether that be to the pantries there in Olley or across our our other 11 counties. And the stories that that they will share are very often, I've relocated for a job, or there's been a divorce or a death in the family, or retirement, social security is just not covering our our day-to-day expenses. So it's it's just people of all walks of life, if it sounds like a large part of what I do is community outreach, but also the daily interaction with donors. And I'm always consistently asked, Julie, who are you serving? And and that goes from children because of no fault of their own, the situations that are set up for them and sometimes the lack of access to food to teens, adults, and and seniors. Wow. Okay, so last year David O'Neill talked about reductions in federal food support and how the food bank was trying to make up those losses through produce partnerships and private donations. Is that still a challenge? But the food bank does not receive government funding. So we are reliant on the gift of time from volunteers and donors, always.
SPEAKER_01Okay.
SPEAKER_00But USDA product, you know, really since last September, there was a huge cut in that. A lot of that was around produce, and it was also around proteins. So what we had is we had a donor come forward and speak to one of our board members, and they wanted to do something that for the first time, it was the first time in the history of the food bank, they wanted to donate a head of cattle.
SPEAKER_02Wow. Wow, that's a lot of meat, too.
SPEAKER_00It is, and so from that, this is what's really neat, you know, because we had we were seeing, and we knew we were going to continue to see a decrease of USDA protein coming through the doors of the food bank. So we ended up being able to, you know, figure out that one transaction with the one head of cattle. But then as a development team, we were looking around the room and we were like, my gosh, look at where we are in Texas. And if we think about donors, what's another way that's meaningful to a family to be able to give? So we developed a program called Cattle Drive, and that it is that allows our ranchers to be able to donate the cattle directly to us. So we have a a contract with Nakona Meats who handles our processing for us. Um we really facilitate that entire transaction. Of course, because it is beef, it does have to go through USDA regulations to be acceptable. But from one donor saying, hey, this is this would be meaningful to my family, we've developed an entire program around that. How many people does one head of cattle feed? We are talking about several hundreds of pounds just from one head of cattle. So if we think about where we're geographically located, if we had every rancher across 12 counties say, I'm gonna donate one head of cattle per year, that would be an astonishing amount of nutritious protein being able to be distributed again across 12 counties. That is incredible. That is such a great idea. So again, if if ranchers want to get in touch with you about this, do they just call you, go on your website? How do they how do they do this? How do they go about it? Cabble drive is listed under our programs on our website, but I never like to revert neighbors to a website. Please call our food bank directly and you can speak to one of our members of the development team about our cattle drive program. All right. And what's that number just because? Yeah, it's 940-766-2322.
SPEAKER_02Yes, that sounds similar to something we would talk about for Southern Engineering, because that's so Texas that it's called Cattle Guard. You know, you have to be resourceful, you have to always be willing to pivot and to just change course just to account for the need. So that is a wonderful program. Another program that people were especially interested in was Power Pack for Kids. Can you tell us about that, Everett, and why it matters?
SPEAKER_00Sure. You know, so Power Pack for Kids, again, it reaches across 12 counties. And that program is initially designed for our students, students through kindergarten all the way through high school. What happens at the end of a school day on Friday when they're not going to have breakfasts provided by school on Saturday morning? So this program was designed to fill in that gap for families. It's intended for weekends, but we have families that these are all non-perishable food items. It's about 8 to 11 non-perishable foods. There's always a protein in there, some fruit, milk, shelf stable milk. And it's really families can utilize those products throughout the week. So if you have a student who is an athlete and you need to be able to have access to some quick food during the week, you know, you're able to have that power pack. And we're heavily reliant on our volunteers because they're the ones throughout those schools across 12 counties that they discreetly put that bag in students' backpacks at the end of the school day. For some, that's the only food to get them through until they're served breakfast on Monday morning. So I want to shift to something new and exciting that you talked about last time, and that's the Wichita Falls Area Food Bank is launching a major capital campaign. We are in the public phase of our capital campaign. And when we, you know, are talking through the need and what's really the purpose of this new building. This is in support of our James N. McCoy Foundation Distribution and Education Center. Well, we right now do not have a facility that will allow us to serve at the rate to keep up with the food insecurity rate, nor the services that we would like to have the reach across 12 counties outside of Wichita. So that includes having a teaching kitchen, increasing also our volunteer area. We've estimated that we have about 14,000 neighbors that we are not able to adequately serve based on our current space limitation. So this has been a long-term project. We're currently at 75% of our $17 million fundraising total, but it is an $18.6 million distribution and education center. Okay, so I interrupted you earlier when you were telling us all the things you would be doing to serve these extra 14,000 people. Can you talk about like what's going to go on in that building and what it's going to allow you to do? The whole purpose of it is that we're going to be able to triple our capacity to distribute fresh foods. But in order to do that, we have to increase our freezer space. We have to increase our refrigerator space. So right now, there are many times that we're having to accept half truckloads of food versus whole truckloads of food. So just the ability and our purchasing power and to be able to turn around those fresh items is at the forefront of this project. But we're also going to be able to provide on-site nutrition classes. So right now we have a director of nutrition services, but she has to travel outside of the food bank because there's nowhere to host students or seniors. If you think about the new food bank, that's going to be very much a community center where our neighbors across those 12 counties are going to have a gathering place. And then also for our volunteers, where they're going to be able to increase their hours because they have the space to not be dodging on our lift trucks in the back. So the expansion is going to be across all lines and all programs of what we do right now. How can we communities like Ali support the effort? Thank you for asking. The best thing to do is to visit our website to learn about our capital campaign, if you have time in your day to volunteer with us and to volunteer here at the hub, at our warehouse, at one of our mobile pantries. But then also our community partners there, they also accept volunteers. And I say that because I think that's the best way to become rooted in the cause. When you volunteer, you really realize, gosh, this is a neighbor just like I am. I have the ability to donate my funds that's going to impact all me, but then is also the gift across these 12 counties. And that's what's really special about the capital campaign. So I would say please visit our website. There are ways to directly donate, but again, to spend time volunteering and just really see if this is a claim that that resonates. It seems kind of far for somebody from Alni to go up to Wichita Falls to do this, but I'm thinking that perhaps people who want to volunteer and learn about education and bring that back to Alni. Is that kind of what you're saying? We have a mobile teaching kitchen. So we do have opportunities, especially around open enrollment in Alni. We had a presence there just this last school year before the children started back to help increase efforts around PowerPack for kids. If you're ever like, gosh, we can better educate the neighbors here. The food bank will also come to Alni. We'll be happy to do so. So whether that's around children with our mobile teaching kitchen, or if that's reaching out to our food bank to say, hey, this is what is there locally to get you in touch with some of those community partners so you can become really involved and understand what the local needs are. That's especially important around our youth and why we have a concentrated effort of spending time, not just in Wichita, but across those 12 counties. A lot of times in those rural areas, we see school-aged children that they just haven't been exposed because their family either doesn't have access to the proteins or the produce or they don't have the budget for it.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, that's what's so unfortunate. I've noticed even myself, shopping is the healthy food is always more expensive than the process, like ready to, I mean, it's just crazy the difference in price. And it's unfortunate because you know it's hard. And if you can't afford the the healthier stuff, then you're always going to go back to the process. So I think that that's a big issue as well, is the cost. It's they make it so cheap to eat that, you know.
SPEAKER_00And then people also, if we think about our work schedules, you know, what's quick and fast and easy. When we're out in communities, we want to hear from our neighbors to say, how can we really best educate you? What do you have access to? What are you finding a challenge? Because we want to be able to meet our neighbors exactly where they're at. Okay, so before we wrap up, what do you wish people better understood about hunger in rural communities? Hunger is an everyday. Everyday it's a national issue. It's especially predominant in rural areas. And it's happening to our neighbors next door to us. The first mobile pantry when I started at the food bank was about three years ago. And I asked a neighbor to please open her trunk. And as I, you know, came around, I said, you know, is it okay for me to stick these little oranges in your trunk? And she broke down crying. And I I went, I went around to the driver's side and she said, I just yesterday got custody of my grandchildren. And she said, It's really important to me that they have nutritious food. But she said, you know, Julie, she said, I don't know how I'm gonna do it. And I like to share that story because here at the food bank, we just never know what our neighbors are walking. But there's such a misconception around hunger. Hunger is not for those who are not working. Yes, there are individuals who are homeless or maybe are unemployed, but 91% of the neighbors that we are serving, they have a source of income. It is just not enough income for them to be able to thrive in their day-to-day lives. So I would say let's remember that about our neighbors. And uh finally, what really gives you hope right now, what gives me hope is our neighbors. I interact with volunteers every day that say, Hey, let me give you my gift of time. Donors who say, What do you need? I have hope every single day. Uh I have hope across 12 counties because there are neighbors who are willing to say, Hey, I've been there, let me help. Or I've never walked in your shoes, but I have the ability to do so. Let me please donate. And that's exactly how our capital campaign is going to come into fruition. Thank you, Julie, for being with us. Thank you for having me.
SPEAKER_02We definitely appreciate you helping shine a light on an issue that affects more families than many people realize. Absolutely.
SPEAKER_00And before we wrap up today's show, let's take a quick look at what's happening around Alney. It is that time of year when the community calendar starts filling up. It really does. Summer brings a lot of activity to town, and we've got several things to mention this week. First up, the Alney Senior Cub Center continues its Monday bingo games. And if you've never attended, you should know Bingo at the Cub Center is not for the faint of heart. No ma'am, those players mean business. Bingo takes place Mondays at 1 p.m. at the Cub Center, located at 302 South Avenue B.
SPEAKER_02And if you need information, you can contact the Cub Center at 940-564-2782.
SPEAKER_00The Cub Center is also offering chair yoga classes throughout June. Those take place Tuesdays and Fridays at 1030 a.m.
SPEAKER_02Chair Yoga is such a great program because it makes movement and exercise accessible to people of all ages and ability levels.
SPEAKER_00Exactly. It's gentle, low impact exercise and a good way to stay active and social. Again, those classes are Tuesdays and Fridays in June at 10:30 a.m. at the Cubs Center. And graduation season continues this week. That's right. Congratulations to the Newcastle High School class of 2026. Their graduation ceremony will be held Friday, May 29th at 8 p.m. Graduation is always one of my favorite community traditions. Mine too. I got to see my niece graduate in Port Aranzas last weekend, and it is always so exciting to watch young people take that next step. Did she graduate high school or yes? And for Port Aranzas High School is almost exactly the same size as Alney High School. Really? Yes. I would not have thought that. Yeah, it's very small. There's a lot of people that go to Puerto Ranzas, but not very many live there. So yeah. So she was um congratulations to her. Yeah, she's she did fantastic and she spent the weekend uh going to a lot of different parties and events, and so it's kind of fun to be able to go along for the ride. Oh, to be able to go back. What is one piece of advice you'd give yourself graduating high school? Oh my gosh, that's a good one. Um just know that everything that you think you're gonna do is gonna completely change, and you need to be cool with that.
SPEAKER_02Absolutely. I would say there are no hard timelines on when you get things done and to just keep sticking it through, and all of those big problems won't even matter in five years. Yeah, that's exactly right.
SPEAKER_00You just need to be very open to what's gonna change. Yes, life changes at a rapid pace. Yes, indeed. Okay, so I also want to mention something I will be doing, and that is I will be hosting a writing workshop next week, June 2nd at 12 45 p.m. at the Senior Cub Center. Ooh, tell us what you'll be covering with that class. So I did this last year and it was so much fun. Um, I have a master's in writing, and everybody probably knows I've written a couple books, I've done a movie, I have done lots and lots and lots of writing in my 40-year career. Um, so I want to help people um tell their stories however they want to tell them. If it's about them, if it's a fiction book, if it's or a story, whatever it is uh their story is, I want to help them have the confidence to write it and uh explore all the different formats uh that you can use to tell a story because we have some incredible stories in this town. Yeah. Just from the people that I met that came to my workshop, I can tell you that we have a lot of uh novelists uh if they would stick with it. So we're gonna have that first class on the on the second just to talk about uh what the stories could be and the different uh formats that you can use. And I will work one-on-one with people to get started, and I'll give you uh uh three weeks to work on your uh on your story, and then we come back on the 23rd, same time at the Cub Center, 1245, and we talk about our creations. Wow, yeah, it's awesome. Yeah, it's gonna be really fun. I really love helping people write. Um, it is just so incredibly rewarding.
SPEAKER_02Absolutely. And what are is that all ages can come?
SPEAKER_00Like if you have some middle schoolers or high schoolers that want to get into it, or is it just whoever wants to come? Anybody can come. Any, anybody, any level of writing, um, any uh part in the process. If you've already written something and you just need a little bit of help or somebody to brainstorm with, I am there for you and I will be there for you uh throughout the process. All you gotta do is uh is email me at editor at allneyenterprise.com and I will put in my two cents for whatever that's worth.
SPEAKER_02That's great. And of course, keep watching for updates on Alleen America and other chamber events coming this year, coming this summer. Uh the chamber will be releasing out our sign-up links uh for the VIP tents, and we'll get uh as we get the last of the sponsors coming in, you'll be seeing uh flyers around town. We're gonna put the van around Main Street again. Okay, so just keep uh an eye out for that, and we are looking forward to that coming.
SPEAKER_00Oh, that is gonna be so much fun. I just love Alni in America. Okay, well, um, if there is one thing we know about Alni, there is always something going on. And it's usually at the same time. At the exact same time, yes. Okay. All right, that wraps up episode three of Alni on Air. Today we talked about this week's local news, looked ahead to summer events, previewed Alni in America, and visited with Julie Naraki about Hunger Relief and the Wichita Falls Area Food Bank's future plans.
SPEAKER_02Thank you so much for spending part of your day with us. Please make sure to like, follow, and share our podcasts on all of those sites. Uh, we have it available on Spotify, Apple Podcast Podcasts, as well as YouTube. We really want to get this podcast out to not just all new, not just Young County, but if you can spread it awareness, uh our you our situations are not, they are unique, but they are not in that a lot of these issues affect multiple rural towns across Texas and the United States. So please help us get the word out and share, share, share that link. Absolutely, because if we get together, there is absolutely nothing that we cannot do. Absolutely. Be sure to pick up this week's Alni Enterprise, download the app, and follow the All Me Chamber of Commerce and All Me Enterprise online and on social media for Kimberly Smith and Gina Keaty. We'll see you next time. We'll see you next time on Alney On Air.