The Friends of Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge will offer guided kayak tours on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays starting May 25 which will run through September. Tours run from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. with about two hours on the water.

No experience is required for participants who will paddle sit-on-top kayaks on the Laguna Madre adjoining the Laguna Atascosa NWR. Participants will be instructed in the use of a kayak and introduced to the habitats and wildlife of the refuge and laguna.

Read more: Guided kayak tours offered at Laguna Madre

PHARR – The Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley is partnering with the National Association of Letter Carriers and the U.S. Postal Service for the 21st annual Stamp Out Hunger canned food drive on Saturday, May 11.

The annual event is one of the largest food drives across the nation where the community can leave canned goods by their mailboxes for collection by letter carriers. Last year, over 56,000 pounds were collected locally.

Held the second Saturday in May, it has become the nation’slargest single-day food drive benefitting Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relieforganization. In 2011, Americans donated 70.2 million pounds of food, which marked the eighthconsecutive year that at least 70 million pounds were collected by letter carriers.

Read more: Letter carriers work with Food Bank for annual food drive

Featuring Concerto Winner, Gerardo Adrian Garcia, violin

The South Texas Youth Symphony Orchestra will perform on Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 12, for a Special Concerto. This performance will feature violin concerto winner, Gerardo Adrian Garcia. The event will be held at the Edinburg City Auditorium located on 204 N. 7th St. (just West of the Court House, off of University Drive) in Edinburg at 4 p.m.

Son of Margarita Oyervides and Jose Antonio Garcia, Gerardo Adrian Garcia, age 15, was born in McAllen. Garcia started playing the violin at the age of 12 under the direction of Jennifer Miller. During his first year playing the violin, he was a member of the chamber orchestra at Morris Middle School.

Read more: South Texas Youth Symphony Orchestra to perform a Concerto on Mother’s Day

The National Butterfly Center in Mission is hosting a Project WILD certification class on Saturday, May 4, from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The environmental education workshop, sponsored by Texas Parks & Wildlife, provides professional development and resources for teachers and informal educators, with activities that may be integrated into the instruction of core academic subjects and adapted to all grade levels.

For students Kinder through 12th grade, Project WILD achieves its goal of developing awareness, knowledge, skills and commitment through hands-on activities while meeting national, state and district standards in science, mathematics, language arts, social studies and expressive arts.

Anyone involved in teaching youth about natural resources, the environment and wildlife is invited to attend the six-hour program. Limited space is available.

Read more: Project WILD Class to be Held at National Butterfly Center