With Mom and Dad Downsized, Texas Kids Suffer

The sinking economy isn't just affecting the Texas workforce - it's also affecting their children. 

According to the state, the number of Texas children qualifying for federally subsidized school lunches jumped 5% in the last year. Many more recently unemployed parents may be unaware of the program. 

“Schools absolutely should be more proactive about it,” said Celia Hagert, a senior policy analyst with the Austin-based Center for Public Policy Priorities. “That could be a big boost for a family. If they’re struggling and can get breakfast and lunch for free, that’s a huge weight off their shoulders.”

Officials are also seeing an increase in the number of homeless children. Over 300,000 Texas children are currently homeless - more than any other state.  "We are literally seeing our future generations living on the streets," said Amarillo food banker Zack Wilson.

Families with children will receive a small measure of relief in April, when federal stimulus funds increase the average SNAP/food stamps allotment by $38. Efforts are ongoing to create a new program to feed children healthy foods after school and on weekends - see how you can help!

"What He Gets Here Is His Dinner"

This great video from the Capital Area Food Bank in Austin captures the faces of child hunger in Texas, and one of the key programs fighting it - Kids Cafe.

Kids Cafe and programs like it would directly benefit from the passage of Texas Senate Bill 944 / House Bill 1622.

32 Million on Food Stamps - and 1 in 11 is Texan

New numbers show a record number of Americans - nearly 32 million - turning to the SNAP program (aka Food Stamps) to feed their families. 

One in eleven of these lives in Texas - and anecdotal evidence suggests the need is growing.

• SNAP offices in Fort Worth are seeing a "dramatic increase" in applicants. "What we saw in January we believe could be our first wave, but it’s only one month of data," said a spokesperson.
• Offices in Laredo are being flooded with requests. “We have people literally like this. Lines from the windows back as far as our restroom doors,” said office manager Terri Werth.
• Officials estimate that only 67% of those eligible are receiving the benefit, translating to lost federal aid - as much as $173 million in cities like Dallas. 

Sitll, aggregate statewide numbers show a recent downward trend. March data from HHSC reports 400,000 fewer individuals receiving benefits since November, when Hurrican Ike generated a spike in need. 

However, experts point out these numbers are still 200,000 higher than six months ago. Many believe the recent drop can be credited to Ike families leaving the program - while the long-term need continues to inch upward.

Texas Unemployment Rate Now 6.4%

Today the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics confirmed the January unemployment rates released last week by the Texas Workforce Commission. 

As feared, 6.4% of Texans were unemployed in January, up half a percentage point from the month previous. 

Social service agencies are straining under the weight of increased need, and many are waiting on federal stimulus funds for relief. 

Stimulus money is already supporting farm sector employment in the Texas Panhandle. According to HHSC, the stimulus funds will also help the rising number of hungry Texans, who will see a 13.6% increase in SNAP (aka Food Stamps) benefits next month. In addition to feeding newly hungry families, these funds will drive job growth in the agricultural and food retail sectors. 

Lubbock: Gardens Against Hunger Growing

A rising number of Lubbock residents, stung by high food prices and the deepening recession, are turning to their backyards for nutrition. 

"Any kind of seed I can get my hands on, I'll be planting," said resident Sherry Pullen, who has grown several different kinds of beans and vegetables to supplement her economical diet.

The South Plains Food Bank, which recently reported a 36% increase in demand for its Kids Cafe program, is capitalizing on the trend with a 5-acre youth garden designed to supplement the canned food available at its warehouse with between 90,000 and 150,000 pounds of produce annually.

Roy Riddle, the garden's land manager, pointed out the irony of such hunger in a land of plenty. 

"We're sitting here in the middle of 5 million acres of farmland and we don't even grow enough to feed the people of Lubbock," he said.

How to End U.S. Hunger

This week, Texas played host to Joel Berg, a nationally recognized hunger expert and Executive Director of the New York City Coalition Against Hunger. Berg's new book, "All You Can Eat" is a blueprint for solving domestic hunger. 

"LBJ's war on poverty actually cut poverty in half," Berg told an Austin TV audience. "When government takes on this problem it can have results."

Berg's appearances in Austin, San Antonio and Dallas promoted local food banks in addition to spreading his message of government leadership to end hunger. 

"Trying to solve [U.S. hunger] with canned food drives alone is like trying to fill the Grand Canyon with a teaspoon," said Berg. "People have to call their elected officials and get them on the stick to solve this problem."

SB 944 / HB 1622 - Help Feed Texas Children

As the recession deepens and lines for help grow, charities face an impossible choice: reduce the quantity of food given to each family, or cut quality?

This same choice, vexing thousands of Texas families, has led to a paradoxical rise in both child hunger and child obesity statewide. 

Last week, State Senator Judith Zaffirini (D-Laredo) stepped forward to address the problem. SB 944, filed by Zaffirini on Thursday (and filed later in the House as HB 1622), outlines a solution to provide Texas children at risk of both hunger and obesity with access to healthy food. 

The bill supplements existing state efforts to address child obesity through nutrition education and physical activity, providing the crucial "third leg" of access to families who cannot afford healthy options. 

The program will direct free, healthy food to needy families through existing systems (food banks, Kids Cafes, food pantries etc.) in order to avoid prohibitive administration & start-up costs. 100% of the money provided by the bill will be used to purchase nutritious food for children.  

Now more than ever, it is crucial for Texas to focus on the basics. What could be more basic than good food for our children?

Help make this bill a reality! Write your state legislator today and ask them to invest in the health of Texas children through SB 944/HB 1622.