Food insecurity (noun): the lack of access to the nutritious foods necessary for a healthy life.
Never heard the term before? Living in Texas, you should probably commit it to memory. Statewide, about 1 in 3.5 children live in food-insecure households, putting us second highest in the nation by the numbers for childhood hunger. And in Tarrant County, the facts are just as staggering.
The Reality The Tarrant Area Food Bank (TAFB) estimates that about 1 in 4 children in the 13 counties served by the food bank suffer from lack of nutritious food available for healthy development.
"The fact is, these children may not have anything to eat in the evening after school," said TAFB Director of Communications Andrea Helms.
Bosque County, located just southwest of Cleburne in a predominantly rural district, holds the highest rate of children in food-insecure households in TAFB's service area at nearly 30 percent.
The stats put the food bank area in a bind when it comes to providing meals for children outside of school, a problem TAFB aims to rectify.
The Impact To tackle the fact that many area children live in food-insecure households, TAFB simultaneously runs two outreach programs.
Kids Café, the original childhood hunger project from TAFB, provides prepared meals for children after school in safe and convenient locations, such as schools and charities that provide children's services.
Helms said the program serves up to 1,700 children per week, but TAFB needed something more. And so came BackPacks for Kids, a service that provides four healthy weekend meals by targeting at-risk students at 29 schools.
"We provide backpacks of nonperishable, child-friendly food, or food that children can get into without adults," Helms said. "That means a lot of pop-top items, boxed juices and easy-open cups of fruits and vegetables."
Helms said TAFB buys most of the specialized food, which costs roughly $192 per child each academic year. The costs present an obstacle to expanding BackPacks for Kids to more schools.
The Solution "People can help a lot just by being advocates and talking about local hunger," Helms said. "We always need volunteers for our projects and people to spread the word."
In addition to donating a little time, TAFB accepts donations of nonperishable foods and basic household products at its headquarters, located at 2600 Cullen St. Heck, you can even donate a vehicle.
After you drop off your donation, check out Breakfast with the Stars, the annual fundraising event for the BackPacks for Kids program. With past guests like Piglet and TCU basketball players, you won't want to miss a merry way to give back. The family-friendly brunch returns this March with production help from the "All-Stars," older children who attended the brunch in their younger years and now want to help other kids understand food insecurity. Tickets are available at TAFB.org.
"We'd love to have more people buy tickets," Helms said. "Our main needs are food, friends and funds."
