This year's Winter Texans were promised that a donation would be made to the Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley, if they responded to a survey. And respond they did! More than one thousand Winter Texans participated in this year's Winter Texan Study, according to Dr. Penny Simpson, director of the Valley Markets and Tourism Research Center in CoBA.

As a result, Simpson presented a check for $1,000 to Food Bank RGV representatives Crissy Cruz, Manager of Communication & Advocacy and Karen Featherston, Special Events Manager in April. Cruz and Featherston thanked the Center and Winter Texans, saying that the donation should provide about 5,000 meals for the hungry.

"The response of Winter Texans to our research is usually very good but I think the added incentive of helping other via a donation to the Food Bank was a crucial factor in this year's record number of study participants," said Simpson. "Our Winter Texans are usually generous volunteers for charity while in the Valley and we're grateful to play a part in that charity this year."

For more than 20 years, the Center has been conducting research on Winter Texans in the Valley and their economic impact on the regional economy. This year's report should be available this summer. For summary information on Winter Texans studies, visit http://coba.utpa.edu/tourism.