by Morgan Montalvo
1200 WOAI news
Online retailer Amazon and the New Braunfels Food Bank on Wednesday evening co-hosted an early Christmas party for 400 needy Comal County kids and their families, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
Organizers treated attendees to snacks, activities that included a cookie-making booth, and a visit from Santa Claus. Each of the kids received a gift, made possible by $25,000 in Amazon funding for the event
. The Food Bank received a gift, as well, in the form of a $75,000 check from the corporation.
Eli Pabon, manager of Amazon’s Fulfillment Center facility in San Marcos, says the New Braunfels Food Bank was the obvious choice for assistance during the holidays.
“It is kind of our Super Bowl time of year,” says Pabon.
“It’s when our technology, the hiring, all of the work that we do year ‘round kind of comes to pay off," he said. "It makes it a little more special to be able to take a break away from that and really share that with some families that maybe don’t get that this time of year."
Eric Cooper, CEO of the San Antonio and New Braunfels food banks, says help from corporate donors such as Amazon is multiplier for helping families in smaller IH-35 Corridor communities that do not offer a wide range of assistance programs.
“You’ve got to travel a little farther maybe to get a benefit or service, and, sometimes, those services are only located in Austin or San Antonio,” Cooper says. “The travel and expense to get there is just an added burden or barrier.”
Cooper says the New Braunfels Food Bank is Comal County’s largest social service agency, and offers assistance to as many as 3,000 area families each month.
“Most people don’t realize that Comal County – New Braunfels – is one of the fastest-growing communities in the United States,” adds Cooper. “And, as it’s grown, the need has grown.”
PHOTO: 400 needy Comal County-area kids and their families enjoyed an early Christmas on Wednesday evening, courtesy of the Amazon Fulfillment Center in San Marcos and the New Braunfels Food Bank. Photo by Morgan Montalvo