Texas leads the nation in opportunity, yet many hard‐working Texans still struggle to put nutritious food on the table. Caught between rising food prices and tight budgets, one in six Texas households is “food insecure.” These families must make difficult choices between good nutrition and other basic needs. These choices often lead to hunger, poor dietary health, and diet‐related illnesses that increase health care and education costs for the state.
In 2015, Feeding Texas will lead a unified effort for a hunger‐free Texas by working with the 84th Texas Legislature to:
1. Increase access to fresh produce and improve health outcomes among Texans who struggle to afford
a healthy diet.
Texas is blessed with ample agricultural and economic resources. We have more than enough to help every Texan access the nutrition they need to be healthy. Feeding with Impact is a public‐private partnership created by Texas food banks to combat obesity and improve health outcomes by combining free produce distribution with evidence‐based programs to increase food access and food literacy. Its success relies on our ability to source free or low‐cost donations of fresh produce from farmers seeking an outlet for surplus product. Feeding Texas seeks $20 million in state funds to support this comprehensive approach to tackle childhood obesity and move the needle on healthy eating. See details here.
2. Protect and strengthen existing nutrition programs. Proven programs like SNAP, school meals and out‐of‐school nutrition should be strengthened to reach more children and families in their time of need. These programs lower food insecurity rates, provide nutrition to millions of vulnerable Texans, and respond nimbly during times of disaster. Access to these programs should be improved for especially vulnerable populations, such as seniors, foster children and those living in rural communities. The legislature should reject proposals that would undermine the structure or funding of these important public investments.
3. Improve the financial stability & dietary health of low‐income Texans.
Creating a hunger‐free Texas means addressing the upstream causes and downstream consequences of hunger. Feeding Texas
supports the efforts of our statewide partners to increase financial stability among low‐income Texans, and improve their overall health.
Increased funding for Feeding with Impact is a shared strategy with the Partnership for a Healthy Texas. Feeding Texas is also supports the agenda of the Texas Food Policy Roundtable.