After a large power outage swept Austin, a local H-E-B found itself the destination for a chaotic gathering.

George Morales III Facebook
George Morales III Facebook
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After the loss of power, the H-E-B store had to dispose of tremendous amounts of food after certain perishable foods that could not be kept at proper temperatures. H-E-B is known for its generous donations to food banks and various donations to help Texans, however, because of strict food regulations, they were not able to donate spoiled food.

HUGE PILES OF SPOILED FOOD

George Morales III Facebook
George Morales III Facebook
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Behind the store, there were dumpsters and massive amounts of carts full of spoiled food. A post started circulating online announcing that the store was giving away free food. However, Travis County Constable Pct.4 George Morales III, quickly took to social media to clear the online rumor. 

"This is not free food!"

The constable explained the store had to throw out the food, "In order to adhere to strict food quality and safety standards, they are required to dispose of certain perishable foods when they are not properly temperature controlled."

PEOPLE SWARMED THE AREA

George Morales III Facebook
George Morales III Facebook
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However, that didn't stop crowds of people from rushing to the area in hopes of collecting free food. "We had over 250 people fighting in the dumpsters because someone posted 'Free Food!'," Constable Morales explained. Officials had to clear the area because people swarmed the area and created a giant gridlock.

George Morales III Facebook
George Morales III Facebook
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Unfortunately, because of the unsafe conditions, H-E-B was unable to donate the items to food pantries and food banks. Morales described the food as "unsafe, rotten, and spoiled." He also warned, " If you know someone that got food, let them know it is not safe."

 H-E-B donates more than 34 million pounds of food every year to help feed Texans, however, these massive piles of goods will not be part of that donation.

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