Hunger in East Texas is growing

Before the pandemic hit our community, East Texas was already facing a hunger crisis with 1 in 5 East Texans facing hunger. Unfortunately, the number has increased and now 1 in 4 East Texans, including 1 in 3 children, are facing hunger each day.

The pandemic has presented the perfect storm of increased need for food assistance, declines in donations of food and challenges to how food banks operate.

Hunger can affect people from all walks of life. Many families are one job loss or medical crisis away from needing help. Many times, it’s families who have done everything by the book, but still find themselves in need of help.

Hunger affects families like DeAdra’s. DeAdra wants a better childhood for her three-year-old son with special needs but struggles to put food on the table while caring for him full-time. With her local food pantry, DeAdra is now able to provide healthy food for Dacian and herself. “I’d spent many days going to sleep with an empty stomach, making sure he had all the food in the house,” DeAdra said.

The East Texas Food Bank is dedicated to making sure East Texas families like DeAdra’s have access to the healthy food they need to thrive. But we couldn’t do it without you!

September is Hunger Action Month and we need the whole communities support to help us fight hunger and feed hope. No action is too small! Here’s how you can get involved: