TITLE: Honoring Alan Graham and Mobile Loaves & Fishes for their contributions to the community.

SUMMARY: Honoring Alan Graham and Mobile Loaves & Fishes for their contributions to the community.

FULL TEXT:
WHEREAS, Mobile Loaves & Fishes has made a positive impact in Central Texas through its efforts to benefit the homeless; and WHEREAS, In September 1998, Alan Graham and several of his fellow parishioners at St. John Neumann Catholic Church in Austin began delivering meals out of the back of a minivan to people living on the street; the civic-minded group quickly grew, and within months it was able to purchase a more suitable vehicle for catering; and WHEREAS, Mobile Loaves & Fishes later expanded to San Antonio; Providence, Rhode Island; New Bedford, Massachusetts; and Minneapolis, Minnesota, and its thousands of volunteers have since served more than five million meals; as the reach of its food truck ministry increased, the organization implemented new programs, including Community First! Village, a 27-acre master-planned neighborhood in Austin that provides affordable, permanent housing and a supportive community for the chronically homeless; the development fosters a friendly, familial environment and includes such services and amenities as a medical facility, an outdoor movie theater, walking trails, a marketplace, and common spaces for projects, worship, and meditation; and WHEREAS, Through its Community Works initiative, Mobile Loaves & Fishes offers microenterprise opportunities to those who have experienced homelessness; Community First! residents join with volunteers from across Austin to work as farmers in the Genesis Gardens, which feature three acres of organic vegetables, hundreds of fruit and nut trees, honeybees, dairy goats, chickens, and other animals, as well as a geodome and aquaponics system; in addition, residents can develop their talents and earn income at the Community Art House and Community Forge and Workshop, as well as through participation in the Community Concessions and Catering program; and WHEREAS, While meeting urgent needs for food, clothing, and shelter, Mobile Loaves & Fishes also assists clients in gaining a firmer foothold as contributing members of society, and in so doing, it has strengthened the entire community; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas Legislature hereby honor Alan Graham and Mobile Loaves & Fishes for their tremendous contributions to the Lone Star State and extend to the organization sincere best wishes for continued success with its important work; and, be it further RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be prepared for Mobile Loaves & Fishes as an expression of high regard by the Texas House of Representatives. Workman Speaker of the House I certify that H.R. No. 588 was adopted by the House on March 2, 2017, by a non-record vote. Chief Clerk of the House