September is Hunger Action Month

Staff Reports

HAYS COUNTY — Hunger Action Month is a Feeding America effort to raise awareness about the hunger epidemic in the United States. Individuals are encouraged to take action in some form against hunger in their own hometowns. Hays County Food Bank encourages residents in this great county to join in and take steps to eradicate food insecurity locally.

According to Feeding America, this pandemic has most impacted families that were already facing hunger or are one paycheck away from facing hunger. Many of these households have children, and many of them do not qualify for federal nutrition programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). These families turn to food banks and pantries for help.

Statistics from Feeding America do not reflect information since the pandemic began in 2020. However, in 2019, it was estimated that more than 25,000 Hays County residents were considered food insecure. What does this mean? It means that 1 out of 8 individuals in our county did not have reliable access to enough nutritious food for a healthy lifestyle. 50% of these households more than likely did not qualify for federal assistance programs like SNAP. Remember, this is pre-pandemic. The numbers have grown since 2019 as many people lost jobs, saw a decrease in hours, or had an increase in medical bills.

In the months following March 2020, Hays County Food Bank saw a dramatic increase in families seeking food assistance. Stimulus packages, increases to SNAP benefits, and unemployment helped reduce the number of people who needed to seek help, but this could be changing in the near months. Food insecurity is very much a reality in our county and hunger is an issue we should all be fighting together. 

Hays County Food Bank asks that everyone get involved. Volunteer, advocate, donate funds, donate food, host a food drive or fundraiser. Even if you do not have the means to donate, you can use your voice to share information about food insecurity in our community and the help the food bank provides for those in need. Use your social media, share among your friends and family, speak with your churches, clubs, and groups. 

Visit haysfoodbank.org to learn how to get help or how to give help. Let’s erase the stigma of asking for help. We truly are all in this together, and nobody should go without food.