Food banks see large helping of hunger

“There’s no doubt people in Texas are hungry. We see it every day,” said Judy Carter of the Texas Association of 2nd Harvest Food Banks. “The agencies that provide food to these families are seeing a growing number of hungry people and for the most part they are families who have someone who is working.”

The United States Department of Agriculture’s report found that more than 1 million Texans are hungry. The report also said 5 percent of Texas families go hungry.

Gov. Bush, the Republican presidential frontrunner, said at a campaign stop recently that he doesn’t believe the hunger report is accurate, and questioned the timing of its release.

“I’m sure there some people in my state who are hungry. I don’t think its 5 percent,” Bush said.

Whatever the number, many of those hungry Texans rely on the Capital Area Food Bank, which is just miles from the governor’s mansion.

And while donations at the food bank are up 8 percent from last year, supplies aren’t meeting the 38 percent increase in demand, said workers at the food bank.

The Capital Area Food Bank serves more than 300 pantries and housing projects throughout Central Texas.

“The food drives that we’ve had from Albertson’s and high schools in the area really have helped out quite a bit,” said East Austin Food Bank worker Marvin Crowe as he and a coworker loaded a truck with large burlap bags of potatoes.

Crowe is one of three full-time workers employed at the food bank. Other help comes from Texas Department of Criminal Justice outreach programs and volunteers.

Those who rely on the food bank said they are grateful for the donations.

“This assistance being brought to these projects is really helping the citizens of Austin,” said recipient Esther McPhaul as she watched food being offloaded in her neighborhood near the Rosewood Apartments in East Austin.

Recipient Heather Moore echoed those sentiments.

“There’s people out here that are hungry and they’re giving to the needy,” she said.

Food bank workers said they need Texans to be as generous during the rest of the year as they have been during the holidays. They said that is the only way they will keep up with growing demand.

The always need canned meats and other protein-rich foods like peanut butter, as well as dry goods like rice and cereal.

“It just makes me feel good that these people could get these contributions to feed their families,” Moore said.