* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:16] I JUST WANT TO SAY ON BEHALF THE MAYOR'S BACK TO SCHOOL AND HEALTH FAIR REPRESENTED BY SHELL, I AM SO EXCITED TODAY AND I KNOW ALL OF HOUSTON WOULD BE AS WELL TO EXCITEMENT OF WHAT GOES ON HERE AND THE OPPORTUNITY WITH ALL THE RESPONSIBLES TO PUT THIS ON. I AM PASTOR COUNCIL MEMBER WILLIE DAVIS AT LARGE POSITION TWO, AND I'M STANDING HERE ON BEHALF OF MAYOR JOHN WHITMEYER. AND THEN CERTAINLY TODAY TO KICK THIS OFF, AND WE KNOW WE HAVE THE HIGHLIGHT OF THIS ON NEXT WEEK, BUT I CERTAINLY WANT TO RECOGNIZE ALL OF THOSE WHO ARE PARTICIPANTS AND THE SPONSOR THIS SUCH A GREAT OCCASION. AND, UH, WE WANT TO THANK THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON, THE FOOD BANK, AND ABSOLUTELY SHELL FOR DOING THIS. IT'S GOING TO CHANGE THE LIVES OF SO MANY AND HELP SO MANY FAMILIES AND CHILDREN. AND SO THIS IS SOMETHING THE CITY OF HOUSTON DOES ANNUALLY, AND WE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT IT. TO ALL OF THOSE WHO PARTICIPATED, JUST A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO SHOW THE HUMANITARIAN EFFORTS IN OUR GREAT CITY, AND CERTAINLY FROM SHELL AND OUR HONORABLE MAYOR. I WANT TO INTRODUCE TO US TODAY, UH, THAT'S COMING UP NOW TO SPEAK TO US IS AVA ROUTES, HR MANAGER OF DEI, COMMUNITY OUTREACH AND SUPPLIER DEVELOPMENT SHELL, USA. LET'S WELCOME HER TO THE MIC. THANK YOU. GOOD MORNING EVERYBODY. I'M HONORED TO STAND HERE IN FRONT OF YOU TODAY ON BEHALF OF SHELL. ALONGSIDE OUR LEGACY PARTNERS FROM THE CITY OF HOUSTON, THE MAYOR'S OFFICE, AND THE HOUSTON FOOD BANK AT SHELL, WE ARE COMMITTED TO PROVIDING MORE AND CLEANER ENERGY FOR THE FUTURE AND SUSTAINABLE ENERGY FOR TODAY. WE RECOGNIZE THAT IN ORDER TO BUILD THE SUSTAINABLE FUTURE, WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO BUILD A PIPELINE OF STRONG TECHNICAL TALENT AND FUTURE LEADERS WITHIN OUR COMMUNITIES. WE ARE EXCITED TO PARTNER IN THIS INITIATIVE TODAY TO GIVE BACK TO THE COMMUNITY AND HELP GROW THE FUTURE TALENT OF HOUSTON. WE ARE MORE THAN THANKFUL AND SO BLESSED TO HAVE ALL OUR VOLUNTEERS HERE TODAY. THANK YOU FOR GIVING YOUR TIME AND CONTINUING TO JOIN US IN THESE EFFORTS. NONE OF THIS WOULD BE POSSIBLE WITHOUT YOU AND OUR STUDENTS AND OUR COMMUNITY THRIVES WITH OUR SUPPORT. WITH THAT, I'M GOING TO HAND OVER TO THE CEO OF THE FOOD BANK OF HOUSTON, BRIAN GREEN. THANK YOU, AVA. AND I WANNA THANK THE, THE MAYOR FOR CONTINUING THIS WONDERFUL PROGRAM. UH, GETTING KIDS OFF TO A GOOD START FOR THEIR SCHOOL YEAR MAKES A HUGE DIFFERENCE. AND HOUSTON FOOD BANK, WE'RE REALLY PROUD TO SUPPORT THAT. UH, OF COURSE THAT WOULDN'T BE POSSIBLE WITHOUT THE SPONSORSHIP OF SHELL. I WILL POINT OUT THAT SHELL ALSO IS AN INCREDIBLE SOURCE OF VOLUNTEERS FOR HOUSTON FOOD BANK. YOU SEE THEM BEHIND ME RIGHT NOW, ALTHOUGH NONE OF THEM SEEM TO BE WORKING, BUT THEY WERE EARLIER, LET ME ASSURE YOU. UH, AND OF COURSE, YOU KNOW, LED BY, UM, OUR STUDENT HEROES, UH, A REALLY NEAT PROGRAM. WE'RE SO PROUD OF WHAT THESE STUDENTS DO. UH, THEY ACTUALLY TAKE LEADERSHIP ROLES AT THE HOUSTON FOOD BANK, SUPERVISING VOLUNTEER CREWS AND MAKING IT POSSIBLE FOR US TO DO SO MUCH MORE FOR THE COMMUNITY. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, WE, WE'VE BEEN DOING FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS AS THE HOUSTON FOOD BANK. UM, MOST OF THE PEOPLE THAT WE SERVE, THESE ARE FAMILIES WITH KIDS. UM, THESE ARE FAMILIES, UH, YOU KNOW, THEY, THEY'RE MOSTLY DOING WELL, BUT YOU KNOW, THEY HAVE, HAVE STRUGGLES, FINANCIAL STRUGGLES THAT CAN IMPACT THEIR ABILITY FOR THE KIDS TO EAT, UH, CAN IMPACT THE ABILITY OF THE FAMILY TO SUSTAIN. AND SO ANY SUPPORT THAT WE GIVE THESE KIDS, PARTICULARLY IN THEIR SCHOOLWORK, CAN MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE. AND I JUST THANK THE COMMUNITY FOR, FOR GETTING BEHIND THIS. WE REALLY LOOK FORWARD TO A LOT OF HAPPY FACES WHEN THESE ARE DISTRIBUTED. AND TO TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THAT, I WOULD NOW LIKE TO INTRODUCE, UH, RICARDO MANNO. MAGDALENA MAGDALENA, UH, WHO IS THE DIRECTOR OF SPECIAL EVENTS AT THE MAYOR'S OFFICE. THANK YOU. IS IT STILL MORNING? GOOD MORNING EVERYBODY. OKAY. SO BEFORE I SAY ANYTHING IN MY FAMILY HERE IN SPANISH, I DO WANT TO THANK, UH, THE HOUSTON FOOD BANK. SHELL. YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN FANTASTIC. I'VE BEEN A PART OF THIS EVENT FOR OVER 15 YEARS, AND I, UH, IT'S A LABOR OF LOVE FOR SURE. WE'VE JUMPED TO MANY DIFFERENT PLACES THROUGHOUT THE YEARS AND, AND AGAIN, IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE PASSIONATELY WORK AND, AND DO WITH, UH, WITH A LOT OF, UH, LIKE I SAID, YOU KNOW, LOVE TO HELP THESE FAMILIES AND, UH, AND WE WANT TO CONTINUE THAT TRADITION AND THAT SUPPORT. WITHOUT THE SPONSORS, WE CAN'T MAKE THIS HAPPEN. SO IN SPANISH, UM, [00:05:08] THE MEMBER, UH, WILLIE DAVIS, COUNCIL MEMBER WILLIE DAVIS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. LASTLY, IN CLOSING, LET ME JUST SAY THAT THIS IS CERTAINLY SOMETHING THAT MANY OF OUR HOUSTON STUDENTS AND FAMILIES LOOK FORWARD TO EVERY YEAR, AND WE JUST CAN'T THANK, UH, THE MAYOR, UH, OUR MAYOR, JOHN WHITMEYER FOR THIS 2025 MAYORS BACK TO SCHOOL FEST PRESENTED BY SHELL AND ALL THOSE SPONSORS, THE FOOD BANK AND OTHER SPONSORS WHO PARTICIPATED. THIS IS GOING TO BE SOMETHING THAT IS, I THINK IS A BLESSING, UH, FOR OTHERS AS A PASTOR AS WELL. AND I KNOW WE HAVE TO CHANGE THE LIVES OF SO MANY PEOPLE AND FAMILIES GONNA MAKE A DIFFERENCE. JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU MENTIONED THAT WE REGISTER THOSE THAT REGISTER, UH, TO PARTICIPATE ON NEXT SATURDAY, AUGUST THE SECOND, 2025 FROM 8:00 AM TO 2:00 PM UH, TO REGISTER, GO TO WWW DOT HOUSTON TX, DO GOOV BTS F AGAIN, THAT'S WW DOT HOUSTON. TX DOT GOOV BTS SLASH AND IF YOU REGISTER, IF YOU REGISTER, YOU'LL BE ABLE TO GO TO ANY METRO STOP AND YOU CAN RIDE FOR FREE. YOU REGISTER AND COME ON OUT. AND IT'S SUCH AN EXCITING THING WITH ALL OF THE OTHER SPONSORS THAT'S GOING TO PARTICIPATE AS WELL AS THE FREE SERVICES SUPPLIES, UH, EVENT HIGHLIGHTS WITH FOOD DISTRIBUTION RESOURCE EXHIBITS. SO IT'S GOING TO BE A WONDERFUL AFFAIR. SO WE PRAY THAT ALL AS WELL AND THAT GOD WOULD BLESS US ON THAT DAY AND ALL OF THESE THAT WILL CERTAINLY BE A BLESSING TO OTHERS. UM, AND WE CERTAINLY, CERTAINLY JUST AGAIN, WANT TO EMPHASIZE HOW GRATEFUL WE ARE TO SHE AND THE HOUSTON FOOD BANK ON BEHALF OF MAYOR JOHN WHITMEYER AND THE OFF THE OFFICE OF MAYOR SPECIAL EVENTS TO BROTHER RICARDO AND ALL OF THE OTHERS. GOD BLESS YOU ALL. HOW MANY BACKPACKS? 20,000, 20,000 BACKPACKS THIS YEAR, WHICH IS JUST PHENOMENAL, YOU KNOW? YES. COME ON. THERE WE GO. 20,000. AND ALL OF THESE WONDERFUL VOLUNTEERS AND MANY OF THESE SCHOOLS AND THE ONES THAT ARE REPRESENTED HERE, MANY OF THESE ARE DOING JUST AN OUTSTANDING JOB. IT'S, IT'S NOTHING MORE, UM, NOTEWORTHY THAN TO SEE PEOPLE GIVE THEIR TIME AND THEIR EFFORTS TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE LIVES OF OTHERS. 20,000 BACKPACKS. THAT'S THE, THAT'S THE GOAL. MENTION MENTIONED THAT WE DON'T TURN ANYONE AWAY IF THEY DIDN'T REGISTER. THEY COME UP, WE WALK, OH, YES, YES. HE WAS REMINDING ME THAT WE DON'T TURN ANYONE AWAY. I MEAN, IF THEY COME UP, WHETHER THEY REGISTER OR NOT, IF THEY ARE PRESENT, UH, THEY WILL GET BACKPACKS AND, AND SCHOOL SUPPLIES. SO WE NOT GOING TO TURN ANYONE AWAY. AND CERTAINLY WE THANK THE EFFORT NOT ONLY COMING FROM SHELL AND THE FOOD BANK, BUT ALL OF THE OTHER RESOURCES WITHIN OUR CITY TO HELP THESE YOUNG PEOPLE START A SCHOOL YEAR WITH SUPPLIES. VERY NEEDED. VERY NEEDED. OKAY. THANK YOU. THAT'S IT. ALRIGHT. GOOD DEAL EVERYBODY. HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY. GOD BLESS YOU. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.