The Issue of Hunger in Central Texas
Far too many Central Texans face hunger every day. One in five adults and one in four children are at risk of hunger, which means they are unable to meet basic nutritional needs due to a lack of resources. Forty-one percent of our clients are children.
How Your Donation Helps
In its 29th year of service, the Food Bank provides food and grocery products to nearly 48,000 people each week. The Food Bank distributes a majority of its food through 350 Partner Agencies which include soup kitchens, emergency food pantries, shelters, senior centers, low-income daycare facilities, youth programs, rehabilitation centers, emergency relief organizations, and many other groups. Your donation helps save these agencies more than $35 million annually in food purchases.
In addition to providing food to CAFB Partner Agencies, the Food Bank implements targeted programs for those most in need in the community, including (but not limited to) Kids Cafe, the Healthy Options Program for the Elderly (HOPE), the CHOICES Nutrition Education program, Fresh Food for Families, the Wheels of Sharing Mobile Food Pantry, and SNAP (Food Stamps) Outreach and Education.
The Food Bank provides more than 23 million pounds of food each year to nourish nearly 300,000 hungry Central Texans. And for every $5 donated, CAFB provides $25 of nutritious food. Charity Navigator, America’s largest independent evaluator of charities, awarded the Food Bank the highest rating – four gold stars – for managing donations efficiently and effectively. Nearly 97 percent of all donated resources are returned to the community in programs and services.
Real Story: Janice
“Visiting food pantries is new to me,” explains Janice, 64. “Before moving to Texas my income was a little better, but I moved to be my father’s caregiver.” Janice heard about the “Wheels of Sharing” Mobile Food Pantry at Turner Roberts Recreation Center from several neighbors.
Janice, a retired insurance underwriter lives on her “modest” retirement savings. “The food I receive here helps supplement my food stamp supply for the month,” she says. “The food here is extremely important to me. I don’t have any health coverage, so I try to eat healthy – the food I receive here is very healthy,” says Janice. “I usually get staple items such as onions, potatoes, pasta and meat.”
“In the past I was one of these volunteers, and now I am on the other side of the spectrum,” explains Janice. “These food pantries are very important because there are so many people in need during these hard economic times. There is quite a diversity of people here; lots of senior citizens and single mothers.”
Janice encourages everyone who needs help to visit a food pantry. “The atmosphere is always friendly. No one here is ever irritated and they don’t treat me any different because of my situation,” says Janice. “I always feel comfortable. No one should ever feel ashamed of coming here. If you need help, just come.”