By Liam Carstens, Vice President of Programs

In early July 2025, heavy rains in the Texas Hill Country caused the Guadalupe River to rise quickly, leading to widespread flooding, loss of life, and destruction of homes and infrastructure.  In response, BBF began conversations with partners in the impacted communities to discuss needs and what BBF could do to assist with the response.  BBF ultimately made two grants to community organizations TEXSAR (Texas Search and Rescue) and the San Antonio Food Bank.

In the aftermath of the flood, TEXSAR deployed almost immediately at the request of local agencies.  TEXSAR never self-deploys and never charges a fee for its services, they only deploy at the request of managing agencies, like the Department of Public Safety, sheriff’s offices, Texas Division of Emergency Management, etc. and they utilize their resources as required to fulfill mission requests.  TEXSAR’s resources include advanced equipment, search K9 teams, and skilled and certified search and rescue volunteer members, who are trained in a myriad of skills related to search, rescue and recovery.

In the weeks following the Hill Country Flooding, TEXSAR deployed 130 members to Kerr, Burnet, and San Saba counties.  These members volunteered more than 7,000 hours, including  more than 1,100 hours searched by K9 teams.

The San Antonio Food Bank is the Feeding America affiliate food bank that supports communities in a 29-county region of Southwest Texas. Including two counties that both experienced devastating floods, Kerr County and Tom Green County.  BBF has worked with the San Antonio Food Bank in the past responding to other disasters in the communities that they serve.  Following the floods, the San Antonio Food Bank distributed what they had and collected additional critical supplies of food, water, sports drinks, cleaning supplies, hygiene items, diapers, and pet food to provide for those in need.  In addition, the Food Bank has been operating ongoing emergency food distributions in both impacted communities every Saturday since the floods and will continue to do so for the coming months.  These events reach 250-500 households at each mobile distribution, with more than one hundred pounds of essential food and supplies going to each household.

From the San Antonio Food Bank: “Helping neighbors after any disaster whether natural or man-made is one of the key components of the San Antonio Food Bank. Through long established partnerships and the goodwill of individuals and private groups, the Food Bank is able to provide formidable support during historic flooding in Kerrville and San Angelo. The Food Bank and its staff remain committed to fighting hunger and feeding hope through vigilance, responsiveness, and compassionate spirit.” 

BBF is proud to partner with these two organizations doing such good work in their communities.