Census: 1 in 6 Texans Live Below Poverty

Despite an economic recovery lasting from 2003-2007, nearly one in six Texans – and nearly one in four Texas children – remain below the federal poverty line, according to new Census data released earlier this week.

These findings confirm that the recovery was one of the weakest on record, with costs-of-living and low wage growth driving many new families to poverty. 3.8 million Texans, 1.5 million of whom were children, lived below the meager federal poverty guideline of $20,650 for a family of four in 2007, according to the Census.

Although this data covers only 2007, evidence from Texas food banks and food stamp offices suggest that conditions have worsened since then:

• State food stamp offices served 2.5 million Texans this August, compared with 2.3 million at this time last year.
  
• Members of the Texas Food Bank Network have reported an 11% increase in demand over the prior year, and are now feeding more than 385,000 households every month.

Hunger is growing by every measure. That means it's likely that poverty is growing, too.

Food Banks Struggling to Meet Hurricane Needs

Demand for emergency food has risen across Texas this summer, and across the population - working families, kids and seniors are all facing the prospect of hunger.

Now add to the list hurricane victims, as food banks find themselves attending to ongoing needs when emergency teams from FEMA and the Red Cross stand down.

This week, the Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley issued a statewide appeal (1, 2) for more food following Hurricane Dolly. While most first responders and shelter managers have gone home, the food bank continues to see a flood of need.

"Normally, our agencies serve about 517 meals per day in any given week, whereas they are now serving 3,255 meals per day," said Terri Drefke, executive director of the food bank.

Should private charity be our only safety net when federal efforts aren't enough? FEMA seems to think so, as they are now considering phasing out the delivery of ice following natural disasters. Meanwhile, food banks along the Texas coast are turning their attention to Tropical Storm Edouard.

Hunger Rising Among Texas Elderly

A report released today by the Meals on Wheels Association of America Foundation projects that the raw number of elderly Americans suffering from food insecurity will grow 75% by 2025.

According to U.S. Census statistics, there are currently more than 185,000 food-insecure Texans 65 years and older. Using this report's projections, the state is likely to face nearly 324,000 food insecure elderly by 2025.

Not surprisingly, the report finds that food insecurity among the elderly results in low vitamin intake and poor health outcomes. It also agrees with findings published last November by the South Texas Food Bank showing the primary causes of hunger to include low income, education levels and assets. "Controlling for other factors," today's report concludes, "seniors without emotional or financial support are substantially more likely to suffer from hunger."

In Tyler, the East Texas Food Bank is partnering with Meals on Wheels to serve the growing number of seniors there who have been hurt by rising food and fuel prices. According to KETK News, the program now has its first waiting list in 35 years, and has discovered recipients rationing food to get through the weekend.

Partnerships Fighting Hunger, Pt. 2

In another example of public-private innovation, the East Texas Food Bank has partnered with the federal Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) to tackle the growing problem of hunger among working families in that area.

According to KETK News in Tyler, children are showing up "in record numbers" at the Food Bank's summer meals sites - 1,600 more per day than last summer (a 12% increase). "We do think that's a direct effect of high fuel and food costs," said Food Bank Executive Director Robert Bush.

Thankfully, through SFSP the cost of these additional meals will be reimbursed by the federal government. SFSP is an example of a public program built to combine the large-scale efficiencies of government with the local knowledge and mission-driven passion of private charity.

(Update: new data from the Food Research and Action Center shows that Texas is forgoing $38.4 million in potential aid from the SFSP program due to under-participation - evidence that more partnerships between the state and local charities should be encouraged.)

Partnerships Fighting Hunger

The fight against hunger in America is a marriage between public resources and the private touch of charity. This arrangement - largely the result of imported English poor law that codified churches as the local hand of social services - was evident in the very first American soup kitchen, which was run by a New York charity using land and capital donated by the colonial state.

Today this public-private tradition continues, as nonprofits like Catholic Social Services and the Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley partner with the State of Texas to assist those impoverished by Hurricane Dolly.

According to the Brownsville Herald, these charities are filling the gap left over when the Food Stamps Program, our nation's first line of defense against hunger, refuses those who don't qualify for its strict measures of need. "We are trying to help all those people that fall into the cracks," said CSS Director Sister Norma Pimentel.

At the same time, the State is recruiting charities like the Food Bank to get the word out about its efforts to replace the benefits of those who lost food in the storm. Many victims of the hurricane may also be eligible for Expedited Food Stamps, which are available much more quickly than normal benefits, and can help Dolly's victims get back on their feet.

State Replaces Food Lost to Dolly

Today, Texas Health and Human Services (HHSC) announced a plan to replace food lost by low-income families during Hurricane Dolly.

By issuing replacement food stamps in five counties, the agency hopes to assist over 40,000 families left hungry by power outages caused during the storm.

Such efforts will make a huge difference for families living on the edge of hunger, for whom Dolly was a disastrous event.

Gas Prices, Other Factors Affect Delivery of Help

As lines continue to grow at Texas soup kitchens and food pantries from Dallas to Lubbock, these agencies are facing a new problem - how to reach those who are no longer able to reach out for help.

"We are drowning," said Judy Rorrie, director of Dallas North Shared Ministries. "The increased cost of gas and food is affecting everyone. Our clients are forced to pay for one thing versus another."

"The gasoline has people not coming into the centers," Syble McClain, director of Polk County Aging Services, told the Beaumont Enterprise. "It's making them homebound. Most of them are just overwhelmed at the cost of everything."

To help, some larger agencies like Austin's Capital Area Food Bank have begun "mobile pantry" programs to meet clients where they are.

"These are families that are doing everything right," said Lyn Garcia of the South Plains Food Bank. "They are playing by the rules. They are going to work every day, but at the end of the month they just can't make it."