Coordinators of the Lakes Area Food Pantry (better known simply as LACare) are looking forward to celebrating the pantry’s 40th anniversary this month.
Officials plan to host an open house to observe the event 2 to 4 p.m. June 21 in Burnet at the main office and pantry 507 Buchanan Drive (Texas 29) in Burnet.
The public is invited to tour the facility and enjoy light refreshments during that time.
Recently, LACare Executive Director Lottie McCorkle recalled she has served the organization since 2002.
“They haven’t asked me to go home yet,” she quipped.
More seriously, Mc-Corkle praised local supporters for their steady assistance.
“The community sees the need of hungry people in Burnet, the food-insecure people of Burnet,” she said. “I enjoy helping to fulfill a need for the community. I have met some wonderful people, too.”
The charitable group opened June 3, 1985 in Burnet, thanks to a donation of $800 from the Highland Lakes Ministerial Alliance, also labor and materials provided by the Burnet Masonic Lodge.
Founders included Rev. Robert Howard of the First Christian Church and Father Jim Wooldridge of the St. Paul’s Episcopal Church of Burnet County, today known as the Episcopal Church of the Epiphany. Also during 1985, distinguished Burnet resident Bill Goble served as the first president.
During the past four decades, many other local churches and organizations have helped LACare continue its work, including The First Lutheran Church and Our Mother of Sorrows Catholic Church, both in Burnet.
Each month about 60 diligent administrators and volunteers facilitate the collection and distribution of groceries to more than 1,000 disadvantaged families and individuals, according to spokesperson Janie Howell.
And during Christmas, LACare promotes toy drives for underprivileged children.
Too, the program promotes the Healthy Options Program for the Elderly (HOPE). The group assembles bountiful bags of groceries for needy folks who are 60-andover and reside within the Burnet Consolidated Independent School District.
Personal donations of food carried direct to the pantry are vital for its operations, Howell says.
Also, the pantry relies on the Capital Area Food Bank, the H-E-B Groceries Company and the Sysco Corporation for supplies, she adds.
The facility is open 2 to 6 p.m. Mondays and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesdays and Fridays in Burnet at 507 Buchanan Drive, due west along Texas 29, next door to Our Mother of Sorrows Catholic Church.
