According to the North Texas Food Bank (NTFB) President/CEO Trisha Cunningham,
“No one deserves to be hungry, but unfortunately, across the 13 counties served by the North Texas Food Bank (NTFB), nearly 700,000 people are experiencing hunger – including one in five children who do not know where their next meal will come from. The area served by NTFB has the 5th highest number of people in the country who regularly don’t have access to enough food and the 4th highest number of children. When people experience hunger, it not only impacts their physical health, but it affects their ability to learn, work, and lead a healthy and active lifestyle.
“For 40 years, the NTFB has been working to close the hunger gap in North Texas by providing access to nutritious food. To accomplish this, we collaborate with a diverse feeding network of more than 400 food pantries and community organizations that meet hunger at its doorstep in their local communities. Together with our feeding partners and with the support of our dedicated volunteers, we provided access to nearly 137 million meals in our last fiscal year – the most ever in our history – including 52 million meals accessed through the SNAP program and 85 million through distributed nutritious food.
“And the need continues. The COVID-19 pandemic both exposed and exacerbated hunger in North Texas. Even as we cautiously emerge from our COVID response, our neighbors are confronting additional challenges as we face the highest inflation we have seen in 40 years. Families continue to remain vulnerable to the increased pressure of the higher cost of living, and the NTFB and our partners are here to ensure they have access to the food they need to thrive.
“We are grateful to be a part of such a generous community through our participation in Communities Foundation of Texas’ North Texas Giving Day for the past 12 years. The support we have received from our match sponsors and supporters on this day is helping families like Nelson’s. With two young children and a wife, Nelson works hard to provide meals for his family. But with food costs continuing to rise, affording healthy food and living expenses became difficult. Nelson was able to find the help he needed at his son’s elementary school which is part of NTFB’s School Pantry Program. As he said: ‘We enjoy all the food. It helps a lot, especially in the pocketbook.’
“Because of the support on North Texas Giving Day, families like Nelson’s receive not only food, but also hope for a brighter tomorrow. Hard-working families who struggle to make ends meet will be able to put enough nutritious food on the table for dinner. Seniors won’t have to make the difficult choice between necessary medication and meals. And children won’t have to go to school with an empty lunch box.
“Every dollar donated provides access to three nutritious meals – and every meal makes a difference. Thank you for helping us work toward a hunger-free, healthy North Texas.”
* Graphic/photo provided by North Texas Food Bank
Communities Foundation of Texas’ North Texas Giving Day helps build awareness and support for nonprofits like nothing else. In 2021, $66 million was raised through 103,000 donors benefiting over 3,300 local nonprofits, bringing the 13-year total to over $441 million for our community. NTx Giving Day is the largest community-wide giving event in the nation.
On Thursday, September 22, support North Texas Food Bank by linking here and spreading the word. #NTxGivingDay