Introducing the Hill Country Community Cupboard
Ending hunger in our backyard
Concern for community is woven into the fabric of PEC as a matter of principle. On June 5, that concern took the shape of a little gray cupboard outside PEC’s headquarters in Johnson City: the first of the Hill Country Community Cupboards.
The Hill Country Community Cupboard is a community-sponsored project to address the hunger in our own neighborhoods. Counties in Central Texas experience food insecurity at rates 2 percent higher than the national average, and nearly one in four children in Central Texas goes hungry on any given day.
The cupboard, perched on a pole at the corner of E. Ladybird Lane and S. Avenue F in Johnson City, acts as a free-standing food bank: a small pillar of nourishment for community members in need.
Inspired by a radio story of neighbors helping neighbors, PEC Media Relations Specialist Caroline Tinsley Porter proposed the new giving project to PEC’s leadership team in the winter of 2017. Enthusiasm for the project was infectious, and several months later, the first cupboard was installed.
We invite members of the community, including PEC employees, to stock the Hill Country Community Cupboard with non-perishable food items and personal goods. All are encouraged to “take what you need, and leave what you can.”
The Johnson City cupboard is the first of many. Look for more cupboards at PEC offices in the future!
Learn more about how to donate or receive food.