| |
| |
|
|
R E S O L U T I O N
|
|
|
WHEREAS, For six years, volunteers with the organization |
|
|
Emily's Meals have set an inspiring example of compassion toward |
|
|
people experiencing homelessness in the McAllen community; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, The organization began in 2015, after six-year-old |
|
|
Emily Aguirre saw a homeless man while running errands with her |
|
|
father, Rick Aguirre; the caring young girl asked her father how the |
|
|
man lived and where he was going to find food, and after reflecting |
|
|
on his daughter's concerns, Mr. Aguirre decided to purchase a meal |
|
|
for the man; this act of kindness proved to be the first of many for |
|
|
the members of the Aguirre family, who committed themselves to the |
|
|
goal of feeding one homeless person every day for the 40 days of |
|
|
Lent; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, That original goal led the Aguirres to launch |
|
|
Emily's Meals in 2015; they began by preparing meals in their home |
|
|
to deliver to homeless and hungry individuals, and as more |
|
|
volunteers joined the cause, they have since been able to |
|
|
distribute between 40 and 50 meals each day, for a total of more |
|
|
than 10,000 meals annually; the organization also provides such |
|
|
items as clothing, tents, bicycles, running shoes, bus tickets, and |
|
|
toiletries, and they work to connect homeless people with local |
|
|
agencies that can further help them; beyond simply feeding and |
|
|
offering supplies, volunteers with Emily's Meals take the time to |
|
|
learn the names, stories, needs, hopes, and fears of the people they |
|
|
serve, encouraging empathy and understanding for a population that |
|
|
can sometimes go overlooked; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, In 2016, Emily's Meals became an official ministry |
|
|
of Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church; that same year, the |
|
|
organization held the first of a series of picnics, where homeless |
|
|
clients could receive meals, get a free haircut, shop for donated |
|
|
clothing, and access needed services such as blood tests, health |
|
|
checkups, and mental health evaluations; the organization also has |
|
|
a shower truck and a small food pantry that is located on the |
|
|
grounds of the Palmer Drug Abuse Program; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Emily's Meals has touched the lives of countless |
|
|
individuals who might otherwise go without sustenance and support, |
|
|
and the Aguirre family and the organization's volunteers are indeed |
|
|
deserving of recognition for their generous efforts; now, |
|
|
therefore, be it |
|
|
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 87th Texas |
|
|
Legislature hereby commend Emily Aguirre and the Aguirre family for |
|
|
their dedicated work with Emily's Meals and extend to them sincere |
|
|
best wishes for continued success; and, be it further |
|
|
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
|
|
prepared for the Aguirre family as an expression of high regard by |
|
|
the Texas House of Representatives. |
| |
|
|
Longoria |
|
|
|
|
|
______________________________ |
|
|
Speaker of the House |
| |
|
|
I certify that H.R. No. 635 was adopted by the House on April |
|
|
16, 2021, by a non-record vote. |
|
|
|
|
|
______________________________ |
|
|
Chief Clerk of the House |
| |