Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization, today released “Map the Meal Gap 2012,” which provides estimates of food insecurity at the state, county and congressional district level for 2010. Food insecurity  is a social and economic condition where there is limited or uncertain access to adequate food, commonly known as “those at risk of hunger”.

The map also provides updated data on the additional money required to meet food needs, the average cost of a meal, and income bands within food insecure populations.

How many in Texas and in CAFB’s service territory suffer from hunger?

Similar to the rest of the nation,  there is no county in Central Texas free from food insecurity.  Texas and our 21-county service territory, fares worse than the national average of 16.6%. One in six Central Texans is at risk of hunger.

What would it take to solve this problem?

We know that providing millions of dollars in cash assistance to every food insecure person would not end hunger.  Because hunger is both an economic and social condition, issues such as food systems and access, nutrition education, and sustainability must also be addressed.

Food banks play an important role in providing hunger relief, but the data shows that we cannot do it alone, nor should we. Hunger isn’t a charity problem, it’s a national problem that requires the commitment of our nation’s leaders.

What can you do today?

Yesterday, the Senate Agriculture Committee approved a Farm Bill that includes a $4 billion cut from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) also known as food stamps.  While the proposed budget cuts are not as severe as the House Committee on Agriculture’s budget which slashes SNAP by $33 billion, it still speaks to the misguided priorities of many in Congress.

We need you to call and write to your Congressional leaders today and let them know that hunger is unacceptable and that reductions in anti-hunger programs is not the way to address the hunger crisis.   You can contact your elected official and learn more about the Farm Bill through our website.

How can I learn more about the Map the Meal Gap?

Visit  http://j.mp/MapTheMealGap.

For many children, it can be hard to imagine life without three square meals a day. But for 1 out of 4 children in the US, hunger is a reality they must face each and every day.

In order to address the issues of hunger and poverty and encourage discussion among youth, Sesame Street will be airing a primetime special introducing their newest muppet, Lily, who comes from a struggling family. The episode, produced in collaboration with Feeding America, will highlight the strategies used by families in need, such as school meal programs, community gardens, and food pantries.

Feeding America hopes that the episode will help children understand that those struggling with food insecurity are people just like them with their own stories to tell. Furthermore, by helping children become aware of the hardships of poverty and hunger from a young age, they hope that children will also gain an understanding of how they can help their communities.

For parents who want to discuss poverty, hunger, and volunteerism further with their children, several books also touch on these subjects:

The Lady in the Box, by Ann McGovern
Reading Level: Ages 4-8
A brother and sister help provide food to a homeless woman. As their mother notices missing pantry items, the family begins to understand the woman’s story and decides to volunteer in a soup kitchen.

Tight Times, by Barbara Shook Hazen
Reading Level: Ages 4-8
Told from a young boy’s view, a family struggles with tight times and a job loss when he finds a hungry kitten in a dumpster.

Uncle Willie and the Soup Kitchen, by Dyanne Disalvo-Ryan
Reading Level: Ages 4-8
On his day off from school, a young boy visits his Uncle who works at a soup kitchen.

All across America, children will be asked a familiar question as soon as they walk through the school door in the fall: What did you do this summer?

For children lucky enough to travel to new places, visit relatives, or go to camp, that first day back on campus is an easy opportunity to be proudly share adventures. For others, the question may be followed by an awkward moment of silence. Through our Summer Food Service Program, the Food Bank works with many community partners to provide a fun and healthy summer for children, hopefully resulting in some cool summer stories for them to take back to school. Thanks in part to a $20,000 Hunger-Free Summer Grant from the ConAgra Foods Foundation and Feeding America, Austin-area children at 30 sites enjoy balanced nourishing lunches and snacks to fuel them through a day of arts and crafts, play and other activities.

On Wednesday, country singer-songwriter, Josh Kelley, visited one of the summer food program sites, the Boys and Girls Club of the Austin Area, to serve lunch, participate in arts and crafts, and sing with the children.

Photo by Jack Plunkett for ConAgra Food Foundation

Justice Phillips arrived with his hand-crafted guitar for an impromptu Jam session with Josh. Austin music scene, watch out for this one!

Photo by Jack Plunkett for ConAgra Food Foundation

“Through the generosity and ongoing support of partners like ConAgra Foods Foundation and Feeding America we expect to serve 40,000 lunches to children over the course of the summer,” said Hank Perret, CAFB President & CEO.

Josh plays his hit song "Amazing" for the children. Photo by Jack Plunkett for ConAgra Food Foundation

View more photos from this event on our Flickr album.

Ready, Set, Bag! is a documentary that celebrates the unsung hero of the grocery store world – the grocery store bagger – and showcases the talents of the best baggers in the country as they compete for the title of “Best Bagger in America.” Watch the trailer.

[blip.tv http://blip.tv/play/AYHMsRAC]

Through the power of social media, and Groupon, the filmmakers are raising money for food banks across the nation including CAFB!

Ready, Set Bag! is playing on Monday, Nov. 22 at Alamo Lake Creek (13729 Research Blvd., 78750) and Tuesday, Nov. 23 at Alamo Ritz (320 E 6th Street, 78701). Showtimes are 7 p.m.

Here’s how you can make an impact on hunger:

• $1 of each regular-priced ticket at the theater will go to CAFB
• Save $1 on your ticket price by bringing your donation of three non-perishable food items to the theater
• Participate in their Virtual Food Drive.
• Shop online and 10 percent of the proceeds benefit Feeding America.
• Revenue from the videos on their bliptv channel (I highly recommend the “How to Be a Good Bagger” clip) goes to Feeding America.

Lisa Goddard
Advocacy and Online Marketing Director

Census shows sharp rise in poverty. Feeding America study shows increase in food demand. Texas ranks above national average.

Last Friday, census numbers revealed the poverty rate climbed to 13.2 percent from 12.5 percent. The number of people living in poverty rose to 39.8 million last year, an increase of 2.6 million from 2007, and 15.9 percent of Texans lived in poverty in 2008.

In early September 2009, Feeding America conducted a survey of food banks to learn more about the challenges they, their member agencies, and clients face. The report shows a staggering increase in food bank demand (99 percent report an increase in demand for emergency food assistance over the past year). I encourage you to learn about what our sister food banks are reporting around the country, what’s going on in Texas, and what we’re facing in Central Texas.  

What happens when families in poverty do not have a safety net through family, friends or federal feeding programs like SNAP (food stamps)?  Food Banks become their lifeline, and it shows.

Putting the numbers into context:

The official U.S. poverty rate is based on income thresholds. According to census calculations, a family of four is considered poor if pretax income falls below $21,660; $10,830 for an individual.  There are some advocacy and interest groups who assert that this number grossly underestimates what it really means to be poor in America. Recently, the Obama administration agreed, and implemented changes to the calculation of poverty, specifically for seniors, to account for medical expenses and other costs of living.

Others feel that in comparison to other poor individuals in the world, America’s poor “aren’t really that bad off.”  Do you think $21,660 can support a family of four’s nutritious diet, provide them with adequate, warm housing for the winter, prepare them for work and school, and support basic health care needs?   

What’s at stake for counting the poor?

According to Nonprofits Count, lower-income individuals are frequently undercounted by the census, leading to underfunding of critical services and infrastructure and underrepresentation in government.  States receive an average $1,200 per person annually through census data-driven federal formula grants. As you can see, Central Texas is leaving money on the table, as evidenced by our low census participation rates in the last census.

What you can do.

Call your Congresspersons today and tell them what you think about the state of poverty in your community.  Share the statistics from the Feeding America report so they know the staggering need for food assistance. Ask for reform and support for Central Texas’s poor, and especially children in poverty.

Get involved with census outreach to ensure all Central Texans are counted. Click here to find out how you can support nonprofits with their outreach.

Lisa Goddard
Advocacy and Online Marketing Director

Child Nutrition Programs are meant to be a safety net for families struggling to nourish their children. You may be wondering how these programs work, or think they fall short of fulfilling their promise to feed hungry children.  Four reports were released this month, providing an in-depth analysis as well as recommendations for improvements.

Child Food Insecurity: The Economic Impact on Our Nation, by Feeding America, reveals the impact of food insecurity and hunger on child health, growth and development, and details the economic effect of child hunger in the United States.  This is the first report to link food insecurity and hunger to tax-payer burdens, life-time earnings and other long-term economic issues. 

The Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) released Ending Childhood Hunger by 2015:  The Essential Strategies for Achieving the President’s Goal. This report is the first in-depth look at a comprehensive and realistic strategy to achieve President Obama’s goal of ending childhood hunger by 2015.

Hunger Doesn’t Take a Vacation:  Summer Nutrition Status Report 2009 (by FRAC) provides in-depth analysis of an average 2.9 million children (190,174 in Texas) relying on summer nutrition programs in July 2008.  Texas ranks 42 out of 51 states (data counts District of Columbia as a state) in participation, forfeiting millions of dollars in unclaimed summer nutrition funding.

School’s Out… Who Ate?  A Report on Summer Nutrition in California analizes the decline in participation of the federal summer lunch program in California. So why should Texans care? The problems faced in California are not typical and the obstacles states face in achieving full participation in federal feeding programs require adequate resources, funding and community support.

In our own backyard, Agriculture Commissioner, Todd Staple’s rallying cry to Texas Mayors to support summer feeding programs, and the offer of a donation from H-E-B to the top three cities with the largest increase in summer meals served, it was not enough to offset budget cuts in the program.  Austin-based Urban Connection chronicles their recent challenge participating in the program in response to the City of Austin’s Parks and Recreation Department cutting back on the number of feeding sites from 84 to 14.

The message in all of these reports are clear — Child hunger is preventable and unnecessary in the United States.  We have the solutions. We just need the social will.

What are we doing about it?
The Food Bank and Texas Food Bank Network has agreed on a set of detailed policy changes for improving the Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act, due to expire this September.  Read the recommendations here.

What can you do about it? 
Click here to send your message to Congress.

Food Bank volunteers took the day off so operations crew could take inventory. Nearly 2 million pounds of food and grocery products were counted at the CAFB warehouse on South Congress Avenue.

Why do we check inventory?

Like any for-profit business, inventory control is key to controlling expenses and operations efficiency. We place a high value on inventory and its quality because the stakes are high. Sound inventory means our Partner Agencies are receiving exactly what they need, and hungry Central Texans are getting a good wholesome product. Every product that comes into the Food Bank is inspected, sorted, cleaned, labeled, organized and placed on shelves.

We also measure the accuracy of inbound food (like donations from your food drives). Our inventory process allows us to share with you the impact of your efforts. For example, one pound of food donated provides approximately .8 meals.

How often do we check inventory?

Because our Partner Agencies order almost every day, we check inventory (on smaller levels) daily and weekly. When an order is fulfilled, product is pulled to replace it. Every step in this process is tracked. Our pounds-per-month vary, depending on the season. When we’re in disaster relief mode, inventory is monitored daily. At any given time, our South Congress warehouse can hold up to 2 million pounds of food and grocery supplies, and if needed, we could distribute the entire stock in one month.

Interesting Inventory Insights:

• For the last two years, CAFB received four Feeding America awards for operations efficiency.
• According to Feeding America, we’re number three in the nation, behind New York and Houston, in produce distribution.
• With the increased need, we also store food at warehouses in two additional locations.

Lisa Goddard
Advocacy and Online Marketing Director 

Feeding America recently released a report using USDA data to determine state-by-state child hunger (those under age 18). For the second year in a row, the study revealed Texas having the #1 rate of child hunger at 22.1 percent. Texas is also in the top five states with children under five at risk of hunger (23.3 percent). Read the study here.

Instead of focusing on the shock of these numbers, we challenge you to act upon your desire to make a change.

We think it’s prudent to look to our community and elected leaders for more than their thoughts.  We also need their support.  The hunger conversation in Texas needs to be directed to our leaders, to whom we entrust to create a stronger Texas.  

In response to the issue of child hunger, HB 1622 was introduced in the Texas Senate, last week. As I’ve mentioned in previous blog posts, the bill would provide $20 million to help food banks provide healthy foods to children at risk of hunger.

Roughly $1.5 million of the money from HB 1622 would go to Capital Area Food Bank to be distributed to the 350 Partner Agencies serving hungry Central Texans.

HB 1622 received passage in the Texas House last month.  We, again, thank all the Representatives in our 21 County Service Area who supported the bill:

Charles Doc Anderson, Jimmie Don Aycock, Valinda Bolton, Byron Cook, Dawnna Dukes, Jim Dunnam, Dan Gattis, Harvey Hilderbran,  Donna Howard, Tim Kleinschmidt, Diana Maldonado, Doug Miller, Sid Miller, Elliot Naishtat, Eddie Rodriguez, Patrick Rose, Ralph Sheffield and Mark Strama. 

We encourage you to send letters of thanks to them, as well.

Texas legislators are meeting this month to decide the fate of the bill and funding. Please contact your local state legislators and ask them to support funding for “the food bank bill.”

One-in-five Texas children is depending on you to be their voice.