The launch of our new website formally marks our name change from the Texas Food Bank Network to Feeding Texas, and a new mission statement: “To lead a unified effort for a hunger-free Texas.”
Why the change? Because a name is an important reflection of an organization’s mission. When our organization was founded in 1986 as the Texas Association of Second Harvest Food Banks (TASHFB), it was when food banks themselves were first taking root. At the time our name reflected our status as a trade association of sorts – to represent food bank interests and provide a forum for newly-minted food banks to communicate, coordinate and negotiate.
Twenty years later, our switch to the Texas Food Bank Network (TFBN) recognized that our organization had evolved and become more complex. No longer just a passive channel of communication, TFBN was guiding the food banks in becoming a more effective, cohesive and collaborative network of hunger relief organizations through technical assistance, new statewide partnerships and a stronger voice in public policy debates.
Feeding Texas represents the next step in our evolution as a leader among all Texans who believe that hunger doesn’t belong here, and that we can go beyond hunger relief to improve the health and economic stability of the people we serve. We remain, as always, a statewide network of extremely dedicated and effective member food banks. But in our new role we want to go beyond just leading a network of food banks, to unifying and leading a far broader public conversation as well as the collective action needed to solve hunger in Texas.
Why? Because hunger is only solvable if we act together. Texas is blessed with ample agricultural and economic resources. We have the knowledge necessary to create a hunger-free state. Families, charities, businesses and government all have a role to play. Feeding Texas is here to identify and nurture those opportunities to collaborate.
Feeding Texas is leading the way to a hunger-free Texas! Please join the Texas anti-hunger community by signing up for regular updates and action alerts.