Peanut butter drive for East Texas Food Bank kicks off friendly competition between Tyler, Longview

Published 5:40 am Friday, September 5, 2025

Tyler and Longview are going head-to-head — or, in this case, jar-to-jar — in a friendly competition to see who can spread the most love. For the second annual Spread the Love Drive, every jar matters — whether it’s creamy, crunchy, name brand or generic — as the cities mark September’s Hunger Action Month together.

“Here in East Texas, 1 in 5 adults are considered food insecure or hungry… and 1 in 4 children,” East Texas Food Bank CEO David Emerson said. “Basically 25% of children in East Texas don’t know where their next meal is coming from.”

The campaign is part of the nationwide effort by Feeding America to raise awareness of food and food insecurity in the United States. As one of the most requested items, peanut butter is nutritious, kid-friendly, high in protein, and shelf-stable.

“We typically have to purchase the peanut butter that we provide,” Emerson said. “On an average year, we purchase 4 to 5 truckloads of peanut butter for our neighbors here in East Texas. So this is a really important opportunity for the community to get involved.”

Jars will be collected this month through Sept. 25 in East Texas Food Bank barrels in Brookshire’s, Super 1 Foods, and Fresh locations in both Tyler and Longview, as well as Chick-fil-A stores in both cities. Donors can also buy jars of peanut butter online at EastTexasFoodBank.org/pbdrive. Funds will go towards food purchases in the respective communities.

Results will be tallied up twice weekly and posted on the ETFB social media pages and website, so each city can see how they are doing in the peanut butter competition. One final update will be given on Sept. 24, the day before the competition ends. For the competition, jars of peanut butter will be weighed to determine the winner and will be announced on Monday, Sept. 29.

“The East Texas Food Bank and our local food banks do incredible work every single day to fight hunger and bring hope to our neighbors,” Longview Mayor Kristen Ishihara said. “This friendly competition is more than just about jars of peanut butter; it’s about making sure children and families in East Texas don’t go hungry. Longview is proud to do our part to spread the love.”

For the inaugural campaign in 2024, East Texans donated more than 38,500 jars of peanut butter — the equivalent of a full truckload. Tyler raised 20,202 jars of peanut butter compared to Longview’s 18,393, totaling 38,595 jars. Contributions came from both physical donations and online purchases, making it easy for community members to get involved.

“We congratulate Tyler on their win in 2024,” Ishihara says, “but will be looking to take the trophy for 2025.”

Stores participating include:

Brookshire’s – 2020 Roseland Blvd. in Tyler
Brookshire’s – 2734 E. 5th St. in Tyler
Brookshire’s – 100 Rice Rd. in Tyler
FRESH by Brookshire’s – 6991 Old Jacksonville Hwy. in Tyler
Super 1 Foods – 1105 E Gentry Pkwy. in Tyler
Super 1 Foods – 113 NNW Loop 323 in Tyler
Super 1 Foods – 3828 Troup Hwy. in Tyler
Super 1 Foods – 172 Centennial Pkwy. in Tyler
Brookshire’s – 3354 Gilmer Rd. in Longview
Super 1 Foods – 1217 E Marshall Ave. in Longview
Super 1 Foods – 1800 S High St. in Longview
Super 1 Foods – 2301 W Loop 281 in Longview

Chick-fil-A drop-off locations include:

1873 SSW Loop 323, Tyler
5943 S. Broadway, Tyler
3830 Troup Hwy., Tyler
13816 US 69, Lindale
507 E Loop 281, Longview
1740 W Loop 281, Longview

Established in 1988, the East Texas Food Bank is the largest hunger-relief nonprofit in East Texas, covering 26 counties. It provides over 31 million meals each year to more than 200 partner agencies and feeding programs. The organization’s mission is to fight hunger and feed hope in East Texas. For more information, visit www.easttexasfoodbank.org.