Are there hungry people in Texas?

Texas is not immune from people being hungry.  Here are some facts to consider:
The state of Texas is third in the nation in the percent of its citizens that are food insecure (16.4%).

HUNGER IN AMERICA 2006 TEXAS STATE HIGHLIGHTS
Key findings are summarized below:

• The Texas Food Bank Network (TFBN) member organizations provide emergency food for an estimated 2,064,300 different people annually in Texas.
• Approximately 418,700 different people receive emergency food assistance in any given week.

CLIENTS represented in Texas?
TFBN agencies in Texas provide food for a broad cross-section of households.

• 33% of the members of households in Texas are children under 18 years old.
• 10% of the members of households are children age 0 to 5 years.
• 14% of the members of households are elderly.  (See Senior facts in the next section*)
• About 32% of clients are non-Hispanic white, 22% are non-Hispanic black, 45% are Hispanic, and the rest are from other racial groups.
• 36% of households include at least one employed adult.
• 74% have incomes below the official federal poverty level during the previous month.
• 14% are homeless.
• Among all client households served by emergency food programs in Texas, 68% are food insecure. This includes client households who are food insecure without hunger and those who are food insecure with hunger.
• 41% of Texas clients report choosing between paying for food or paying for utilities or heating fuel.
• 33% had to choose between paying for food and paying for medicine or medical care.
• 26% of client households in Texas are receiving Food Stamp Program benefits; however, it is likely that many more are eligible.
• Among households with children ages 0-3 years, 54% participate in Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).
• Among households with school-age children, 67% and 63%, respectively, participate in the federal school lunch and school breakfast programs.
• 31% of Texas households report having at least one household member in poor health.

VOLUNTEERS in Texas,

• 89% of pantries, 80% of kitchens, and 76% of shelters use volunteers.
• 65% of pantry programs and 22% of kitchens have no paid staff at all.

View more statistics on Hunger and Poverty in Texas (pdf)