Amelia Lechuga always used to say she was just a little Spanish girl from the country. Through the fruits of her labor, Lechuga set out to combat food insecurity in 足交视频 by opening the area鈥檚 first food bank in 1986. After her death on Saturday, Lechuga鈥檚 legacy lives on not just through the food bank but through the acts of service she inspired in others.
鈥淪he was a force to be reckoned with. Any problem my mom had she would figure it out and keep moving forward,鈥 Lechuga鈥檚 daughter, Jeanette Damato said.
Lechuga was born in 1972 in Nordheim where she grew up hungry, picking cotton on her family鈥檚 farm. As one of four children, Lechuga knew what it was like to be hungry and instead of focusing on her own plight, Lechuga used her knowledge to help provide for others.
鈥淚nstead of feeling bad for herself she would always turn things around and look to see how she could turn something negative into a positive,鈥 Damato said.
Lechuga used her servant鈥檚 heart to start the Spirit of Youth organization which aimed to help abused and neglected children. Through cooking, dancing, field trips and dances, Lechuga helped create lifelong memories for countless children across 足交视频. Every holiday and event was made special by Lechuga, bringing presents and Santa Claus to help give children experiences that most people take for granted.
鈥淪he provided for these families and impacted their childhoods. It was through Spirit of Youth that she saw the depths of food insecurity in 足交视频,鈥 Damato said.
Like every problem Lechuga had ever encountered, she set to work to find a solution. At the time, local pantries would have to make trips to food banks in larger cities like Corpus Christi and Houston to fill their shelves. An increased need for food saw the birth of 足交视频鈥檚 own food bank in 1986 which aimed to feed residents across seven different counties.
鈥淢om was a real go-getter. She didn鈥檛 like moss growing underneath her,鈥 Damato said.
Throughout the years and various locations across town, the Food Bank of 足交视频 struggled not just to keep their shelves stocked but also to keep the lights on.
鈥淪he鈥檇 find money where she could get it, either through fundraisers, grants or coins at the livestock show,鈥 Chris Damato, Lechuga鈥檚 son-in-law said.
The food bank鈥檚 first and longest service employee is Frances Santellana, who first started volunteering at the food bank in the early 1990s. When the money would run dry and worries about payroll began to surface, Lechuga would ask her employees if they would like to leave the food bank or if they would like to volunteer until Lechuga could make payroll.
鈥淪he was fearless. She had a beautiful way of offering you courage when you were scared and I felt confident knowing that she was always in my corner,鈥 Santellana said.
The only thing more inspiring than Lechuga鈥檚 acts of service and determination was her influence on others. Through her motivation and belief in others, Lechuga inspired greatness in others and not just the people who worked with her, but strangers as well.
鈥淲e were blessed to have her and we鈥檙e so lucky she got to see what the food bank has grown to become,鈥 Robin Cadle, CEO of the Food Bank of the Golden Crescent said.
Some of the first supporters of the food bank were a myriad of female volunteers who gave of their time to help get the food bank鈥檚 mission across: Feed the hungry and break the cycle of generational poverty.
鈥淢om saw a value in people and had a way of bringing them along with her. She was a motivator,鈥 Damato said.
Lechuga helped establish the second chance program and hired recently incarcerated people at the food bank.
鈥淭hrough the sacrifices of my mom, her grandchildren are excelling. She broke the cycle of generational poverty. That鈥檚 evolution at its finest,鈥 Damato said.
Despite dropping out of school to help pick cotton, Lechuga went back to school in her 40s to receive her GED. Now, her grandchildren are entering college and reaching new heights that Damato said her mother could never have fathomed.
A stroke in 2018 took a toll on Lechuga鈥檚 body. It wasn鈥檛 in Lechuga鈥檚 nature to slow down. Immediately she wanted to rally together a support group for stroke survivors and turn her experience into something good.
Even while in Hospice, Lechuga continued to touch the lives of others. Nurses shared stories of times they volunteered at the food bank as children or times their girl scout troops did a canned food drive or even times their families benefited from the food bank.
鈥淎dults would come up to my mom and tell her how much Spirit of Youth meant to them growing up and how they remember dressing up for dances she held,鈥 Damato said.
Besides a legacy of service, Lechuga leaves behind a history of devotion to her community, her faith and especially her family. Most might remember her as a champion for the unprivileged in 足交视频, but her family will remember her through the songs she sang with her church choir, the meals she prepared with love and her wicked sense of humor.
鈥淭here鈥檚 sadness but so much joy knowing she鈥檚 happily dancing and singing up in Heaven,鈥 Damato said.
The food bank that Lechuga planted has now bloomed into a vital resource for 11 counties and feeds over 30,000 people a month. What started as Lechuga鈥檚 idea to fill the void for a desperate need in 足交视频 and to feed the hungry has become a center of hope for those in need.
In Lechuga鈥檚 memory, please consider donating to the Food Bank of the Golden Crescent online at or in-person at 801 S. Laurent St.
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