Retired Austin Educators Keep Serving Children Through Central Texas Food Bank Summer Meals
For many Central Texas families, summer does not always feel like a break. When school cafeterias close, the reliable breakfasts and lunches that help children get through the day can become harder to replace at home.
That is why volunteers like Theresa and Richard Winemiller matter.
The retired Austin ISD educators have spent the past four years volunteering together at the Central Texas Food Bank, helping prepare summer meals for children, sort food for distribution and take on the quiet behind-the-scenes work that keeps hunger-relief programs moving. For the couple, retirement did not mean stepping away from service. It meant finding another way to care for children and families across Austin and Central Texas.
“We came, we worked in the warehouse, and it was fantastic,” Richard said. “We just kept coming on our own.”
From Austin Classrooms to the Food Bank Kitchen
Theresa spent nearly 30 years of her 36-year education career teaching elementary-aged students in Austin ISD. Richard worked for 20 years in the hospitality industry before moving into education himself, spending 22 years teaching culinary arts in Austin ISD.
Their professional lives were different, but both led them to the same conclusion: food is not extra. For children, it is foundational.
“I had worked in schools where food insecurity was something that was real for the families that I worked with,” Theresa said.
At one school, Theresa worked closely with Foundation Communities and saw how access to food could support students inside and outside the classroom. She also saw what happened when families were stretched too thin.
“I was one of the teachers whose desk drawer was full of food,” she recalled. “If I knew a kid was going to be hungry over the weekend, a backpack would just magically appear with bread and peanut butter.”
For Richard, the connection came through a lifelong understanding of food as something that brings people together, builds dignity and creates care in practical ways.
“I've always been very invested in the connection that food creates with people and between people,” he said. “And how important food is in society.”
Why Central Texas Food Bank’s Work Matters Locally
Central Texas Food Bank is the leading hunger-relief organization serving the region, working through direct-service programs and a network of nearly 250 nonprofit community partners to support more than 610,000 food-insecure people each year. The organization says it helped provide nearly 54 million meals to the community last year.
The food bank’s roots in the region date back to the early 1980s, when it was incorporated under the Texas Nonprofit Corporation Act and became an affiliate of America’s Second Harvest, now known as Feeding America. It was originally known as the Capital Area Food Bank and became the second food bank in Texas.
Today, Central Texas Food Bank serves as a major link between donors, volunteers, local nonprofits, schools, families and community partners. Its work reaches beyond one warehouse or one kitchen. It is part of the safety net many Central Texas families rely on when grocery costs, transportation challenges, job instability or school breaks make food access harder.
Finding Purpose in Retirement
For Theresa and Richard, volunteering has become part of the rhythm of retirement.
They appreciate the flexibility. Some days, they help sort food in the warehouse. Other days, they work in the kitchen preparing meals. Sometimes, the job is less visible but just as necessary.
“I am very well known as the king of the dish pit,” Richard laughed.
It is the kind of comment that says a lot about how the couple approaches service. No job is too small when the outcome is helping someone else eat.
The Winemillers often work side by side, taking on tasks that require teamwork, patience and a willingness to jump in wherever they are needed.
“We work well together,” Theresa said. “There are jobs that just need two people, and the two of us can do it on our own.”
There is an easy partnership in the way they volunteer. After years in education, years of shared purpose and four years at Central Texas Food Bank, they understand that the work is not about recognition. It is about showing up.
Helping Feed Kids When School Is Out
During the summer months, Theresa and Richard often volunteer in the kitchen, where the pace increases as Central Texas Food Bank prepares meals for children participating in its Summer Meals program.
The need is clear. When school is out, many children lose access to the free and reduced-price meals they count on during the academic year. Central Texas Food Bank’s summer meal efforts help fill that gap by offering free, nutritious meals to children and teens 18 and younger at safe, accessible locations, with no ID or registration required.
Through the program, the food bank distributes approximately 30,000 meals each week through summer meal sites across Central Texas, helping families make it through the long stretch between school years.
For Theresa, the reason is simple and deeply personal.
“I know they're hungry during the summer,” she said.
As a former teacher, she understands that hunger follows children into every part of life. It affects focus, energy, behavior, health and the simple ability to enjoy being a kid.
“The meals we put together for the summer are just so needed,” she said. “It's just really important that we feed the kids.”
Then she put it even more plainly.
“Kids need to be fed.”
A Place for Neighbors Who Want to Help
Central Texas Food Bank offers several ways for residents, families, retirees, students, companies and community groups to get involved. Volunteer opportunities include warehouse shifts, mobile pantry support, kitchen work and group service projects. The food bank notes that individuals, families, friends and corporate teams can all find a place to serve.
Residents can also help by donating funds, supporting food drives, giving through shopping programs, or connecting the food bank with large food donations from retailers, manufacturers, distributors, growers and food service businesses.
For families who need help finding summer meals, Feeding Texas says residents can text “FOOD” to 304-304 to locate a nearby summer meal site.
The message behind the Winemillers’ volunteer work is not complicated. Helping does not require a perfect schedule, a public role or a lifetime in education. It can look like sorting cans, preparing meals, washing dishes or giving a few hours when the calendar allows.
“I always leave here feeling like I did something important,” Richard said. “I did something to help another person.”
For Theresa and Richard, that feeling has kept them coming back for four years. For Central Texas children and families, it means one more pair of steady hands helping make sure food reaches the people who need it.
As Central Texas continues to grow, the need for neighbors willing to care for one another grows with it.
Stay with My Neighborhood News for more community stories, local nonprofit updates and ways to support families across the region.
Tiffany Krenek has been on the My Neighborhood News team since August 2021. She is passionate about curating and sharing content that enriches the lives of our readers in a personal, meaningful way. A loving mother and wife, Tiffany and her family live in the West Houston/Cypress region.