Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
McConaughey Gives Back to First Responders in Texas Visit
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 7 years ago on
October 29, 2018

Share

HOUSTON — Firefighters, police officers and 911 operators in Houston, Texas, got a surprise lunch from a famous local as Oscar-winner Matthew McConaughey showed up with roasted turkey to give thanks on National First Responders Day.

“There is a divide there to push. I’m preferably aggressively a little more centric. But we’ll see where we come out and getting out to vote is the first step in doing something about it.” — Matthew McConaughey
The actor’s appearance and catered lunch Sunday shocked those at a fire department. Later, he did the same for police officers and 911 operators at other facilities.
In an interview with The Associated Press, the Austin native said he wanted to do something in his home state, particularly for Houston. The city dealt with the devastating effects of Hurricane Harvey last year. He went as part of a promotion for Wild Turkey, for which he serves as a creative director and spokesman.
“This year, I said, ‘Let me get you down here to my home state,’ and what’s a good place to go,” McConaughey said.
“Harvey just hit last August here. So much of Houston was under water. … We’re going around here today, delivering a turkey, a little bourbon and a little gratitude to the men and women who responded first when that disaster hit,” he said, though technically, no alcohol was given to first responders on duty.

McConaughey Embodies the Texas and Houston Spirit

McConaughey also met with Houston’s mayor, Sylvester Turner. Turner told the AP that McConaughey embodies the Texas and Houston spirit with his generosity, but also “never forgetting his roots.”
It wasn’t the 48-year-old actor’s only civic duty of the weekend. He told the AP that he voted Saturday, braving an hour and a half wait in line at an early polling place.
“It’s not one of those lines that you get moved to the front, nor should you get moved to the front. It’s one of those common denominators, ‘Hey we’re all in the same place as Americans,'” McConaughey said.
He said even though the U.S. may appear politically polarized and divided, he thinks it’s a phase and “we’ll come out on the other side. We’ll find our proverbial water line.”
“It’s the push and the pull,” McConaughey said. “There is a divide there to push. I’m preferably aggressively a little more centric. But we’ll see where we come out and getting out to vote is the first step in doing something about it.”

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

UP NEXT

Disney’s ‘Lilo & Stitch’ Leads Record Box Office Over US Memorial Day Weekend

Eight More Drowning Deaths Added to Kern River Warning Signs

2 hours ago

Caitlin Clark Will Miss at Least Two Weeks With Quad Strain

3 hours ago

Tulare County Authorities Arrest 45 in Parole, Probation Sweep

Authorities arrested 45 people and seized illegal firearms and drugs during a multi-agency parole and probation compliance sweep across Tula...

53 minutes ago

Authorities arrested 45 people and seized guns and drugs during a multi-agency parole and probation sweep across Tulare County over the past two weekends. (Tulare County SO)
53 minutes ago

Tulare County Authorities Arrest 45 in Parole, Probation Sweep

Students walk on the campus of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S., May 23, 2025. REUTERS/Faith Ninivaggi/File Photo
59 minutes ago

Trump Administration Halts Scheduling of New Student Visa Appointments

1 hour ago

Trump Pardons Tax Cheat After Mother Attends $1 Million Dinner

Lower Kern River
2 hours ago

Eight More Drowning Deaths Added to Kern River Warning Signs

Caitlin Clark Against the NY Liberty
3 hours ago

Caitlin Clark Will Miss at Least Two Weeks With Quad Strain

David Sanchez Montes is Valley Crime Stoppers' Most Wanted Person of the Day for May 27, 2025. (Valley Crimes Stoppers)
3 hours ago

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: David Sanchez Montes

3 hours ago

Trump Threatens Action as Clovis Prepares for CIF State Track Championships

3 hours ago

Giants Are No Match for the Tigers’ Montero and Greene

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend