Comptroller offers food banks Xmas ‘miracle’

The state comptroller’s office is encouraging Texas food banks to check the agency’s outstanding unclaimed property website, ClaimItTexas.org, to claim funds that may be owed to them. According to a news release from the comptroller’s office, “An initial check of some notable Texas food pantries shows that they’re owed thousands of dollars in unclaimed property.” The San Antonio Food Bank recently claimed more than $19,000 in unclaimed property – enough to provide its clients nearly 140,000 meals. “It’s a bit of a Christmas miracle to get a gift of unclaimed property via the state comptroller’s office,” San Antonio Food Bank President Eric S. Cooper said. The release explains that outstanding unclaimed property reserved for food banks “includes items such as utility deposits, uncashed checks, refunds from vendors and more. Businesses generally turn property over to the unclaimed property program after it has been considered dormant for one to five years.” A list of potential unclaimed property for food banks is available via the hunger-relief organization Feeding Texas, which partners with 21 food banks across the state.