Why Texas?

According to Feeding America’s Map the Meal Gap: Child Food Insecurity 2011 report,

  • Child food insecurity in Texas is 28.2 percent, compared with a national average of 23.2 percent.
  • Texas accounts for more than 10 percent of food insecure children in the United States with 1.8 million children facing hunger across the state.
  • For every two children living in Zavala and Starr counties, one child is at risk of hunger.
  • Zavala and Starr counties have the highest rates of child hunger of all U.S. counties. There are 3,137 counties in America.

Why these food banks?

Supporting efforts to better understand hunger in America and what initiatives might best help children and families at risk of hunger, ConAgra Foods Foundation has funded a number of studies with Feeding America, including the data collection for the Map the Meal Gap: Child Food Insecurity 2011 report and the joint study with The Urban Institute regarding hunger among Latino families.

Based on the findings of these studies, Feeding America provided recommendations to the ConAgra Foods Foundation for four programs that could benefit from targeted support.

San Antonio Food Bank has received $45,000 to join a pilot program designed to increase enrollment in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) among Latino families, who are disproportionately under-enrolled in these federal safety net programs.

  • The food bank serves a community where 28.8 percent of children are estimated to be food insecure. That’s 166,000 children. San Antonio’s service area includes Zavala County, where one out of every two children in food insecure.

Three Texas food banks have received $15,000 each to support child hunger programs such as Kids Cafe and BackPack programs.

  • South Texas Food Bank (Laredo) serves a community where 41.4 percent of children are estimated to be food insecure. That’s 63,000 children. This includes Starr County, where one out of every two children is food insecure.
  • Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley (McAllen) serves a community where 43.4 percent of children are estimated to be food insecure. That’s 171,000 children
  • West Texas Food Bank (Odessa) serves a community where 34.9 percent of children of children are estimated to be food insecure. That’s 119,000 children.

ConAgra Foods Foundation’s History of Giving in Texas

In partnership with Feeding America, ConAgra Foods Foundation has provided funding for a variety of programs in Texas. With their most recent $100,000 grant, ConAgra Foods has donated more than $500,000 to Feeding America-affiliated food bank programs since 2008.

Feeding America-affiliated food bank programs supported by ConAgra Foods include:

  • Capital Area Food Bank of Texas’ Hunger-Free Summer 2011 program (Austin)
  • East Texas Food Bank’s Hunger-Free Summer 2010 and 2011 programs (Tyler)
  • East Texas Food Bank’s Kids Café and BackPack programs (Tyler)
  • East Texas Food Bank’s Child Hunger Corps program from August 2012 to August 2014 (Tyler)
  • High Plains Food Bank’s Hunger-Free Summer 2010 program (Amarillo)
  • Houston Food Bank’s Child Hunger Corps program from August 2010 to August 2012
  • Houston Food Bank’s Hunger-Free Summer 2010 program
  • Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley’s BackPack 2012 program (McAllen)
  • San Antonio Food Bank’s Hunger-Free Summer 2010 program
  • San Antonio Food Bank’s Latino SNAP Outreach 2012 pilot project
  • South Texas Food Bank’s Kids Cafe 2012 program (Laredo)
  • Tarrant Area Food Bank 2008 vehicle grant
  • West Texas Food Bank’s Kids Cafe 2012 program (Odessa)
  • Wichita Falls Area Food Bank 2008 vehicle grant