Food insecurity is a perennial issue both on the High Plains and throughout the United States, and the recent government shutdown and associated pause of SNAP benefits has hit some community residents hard. The Amarillo League of Women Voters gathered this past Saturday, helping to raise awareness of this growing issue and providing opportunities to give back to the community and help families get food in these difficult times.
According to the High Plains Food Bank, one in six (about 83,000) people, including one in five (about 27,000) children in the region, struggle with food insecurity. In addition to partnering with over 130 local organizations, food pantries, and food distribution programs, as well as providing assistance with SNAP applications, HPFB leads a number of programs and initiatives with the aim of filling the gaps in food distribution and access in the community, including:
- Commodity Supplemental Food Program
- Delivers monthly food boxes for low income seniors over the age of 60
- Kids Cafe
- Provided 151,000 meals to children and 16,800 meals to seniors in need in the past year
- The Garden
- An educational program about growing fresh produce that offers mobile produce harvest distribution
- Nutrition Education
- Teaches Families how to prepare healthy meals on a budget
More information on how to help HPFB and their efforts to feed area families can be found on their website.
Another organization helping feed people in our community is the Mary E. Bivins Foundation’s Senior Hunger Solutions. Since they are often on fixed incomes, deal with costly medical issues, and can lack adequate transportation, senior citizens are disproportionately affected by food insecurity. Over 10,000 seniors in the Texas Panhandle struggle with putting food on the table, and Senior Hunger Solutions focuses on collecting data on senior hunger and securing financial resources to support outreach organizations, churches, and food pantries. More information on Senior Hunger Solutions, including a list of organizations they partner with in each county, can be found on their website.
More information on food pantries and other organizations helping feed those struggling in the Amarillo area can be found at Heal The City's website, as well as The Panhandle Regional Planning Commission's website.
