Latest news with #CentralTexasFoodBank
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Resources for Summer Food Insecurity
Waco, TX (FOX 44) – Many children in Central Texas don't know where their next meal is coming from without the help of school meals, but there are resources available near you. The Shepherd's Heart Pantry is serving families who are food insecure with its 19 locations across Central Texas. Executive Director Robert Gager says summer months are the hardest for food insecure children. 'There's a lot of people that we see coming to our food distributions or mobile food distributions that may be from middle income families that have three or four kids, and they've got two car payments, a house payment and all the other bills that go with four kids. And they're hurting. They're hurting, so I know that the need is out there for the summer' The Shepherd's Heart Pantry is partnering with the Central Texas Food Bank to serve even more children this summer than last year. With the food banks help, the pantry estimates serving up to 3,000 children per week. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Bastrop Co. Emergency Food Pantry asking for community help to amid food shortage concerns
AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Bastrop County Emergency Food Pantry is asking for help from the community. Whether it's becoming a monthly donor or volunteering, the food pantry is doing what it can to ensure it stays ahead of food shortage concerns, the nonprofit said in a news release. The food bank said the 'growing demand, rising food prices, and looming food shortages put increasing pressure on local resources.' Central Texas Food Bank hit with $5.5M in federal funding cuts This comes after the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) made cuts, which includes '$500 million in food purchasing programs,' the food bank said. Furthermore, the food pantry said the Central Texas Food Bank (CTFB) took a loss of $5.5 million in funding, as well as 40 food delivery cancellations. CTFB is a 'key supplier for Bastrop County,' the release said. That equals around 761,000 meals. The food pantry in Bastrop County said it relies on CTFB for more 30-45% of its food supply. The USDA's budget cuts were intended to eliminate fraud, abuse and waste, and the state does not depend on this funding to maintain a strong program, Texas Department of Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller previously told KXAN. 'Our rural community is facing challenges on all sides,' Executive Director of the Bastrop County Emergency Food Pantry Tresha Silva said in the release. 'We are not just seeing more people in need—we are seeing deeper levels of hunger as families struggle with inflation, reduced federal assistance, and now, the very real threat of food shortages this summer.' As a way to address the concerns, the food pantry said it's 'in the midst of a capital campaign to expand its food storage and distribution capacity to one million pounds of food.' 'Before the pandemic, the Pantry spent approximately $14,000 annually to supplement the food supply. Last year, that cost exceeded $40,000. They need the community's help,' the release said. Furthermore, the pantry said all donations made toward that capital campaign through July will be matched to help bring the nonprofit to raising its remaining $400,000, due to help from the Mabee Foundation. The food pantry said the community can help in the following ways: Volunteer your time to help sort, pack, and distribute food Become a monthly donor to help offset rising food costs Contribute to the capital campaign to help expand storage capacity To learn more about the nonprofit, visit the food pantry's website. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Central Texas Food Bank loses federal funding
The Brief The United States Department of Agriculture has cut money from flowing into two main programs More than $1 billion was ended for programs that allow food banks and schools to purchase healthful foods from farmers and ranchers The Central Texas Food Bank spoke out about how it'll affect local families AUSTIN, Texas - The federal government is taking a bite out of funding. The United States Department of Agriculture has cut money from flowing into two main programs. The programs allow the Central Texas Food Bank to feed families while supporting farmers and providing healthier school options. What they're saying "These recent cuts were through a program called the CCC, the Commodity Credit Corporation, which was created under the previous administration," said Beth Corbett, Vice President of Government Affairs and Advocacy at the CTFB. More than $1 billion was ended for programs that allow food banks and schools to purchase healthful foods from farmers and ranchers, like the Emergency Food Assistance Program or TFAP. "These programs don't just help food banks provide access to healthy food for families, they also provide critical support for the agricultural sector, for farmers and ranchers," said Corbett. The USDA has already canceled hundreds of millions of dollars in food purchases as part of the White House's mission to shrink spending. "For our food bank, that resulted in 40 truckloads of USDA foods that we will now not receive. That's the equivalent of about 716,000 meals," said Corbett. These cutbacks come when more Central Texans seek their services than they did at the height of the pandemic. If these programs are not replaced, Corbett fears that it could mean less food overall. "If these cuts are sustained and not replaced with new programming, I think we could certainly expect to see less food on the shelves," said Corbett. However, she remains hopeful. "We're hopeful that the new administration is looking at new programs and that we can help to inform what those might look like," said Corbett. What's next Corbett said the USDA has approved additional purchases for TFAP foods for roughly $260 million, but it will be a while before they see those deliveries. The Source Information from interviews conducted by FOX 7 Austin's Katie Pratt
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Central Texas Food Bank hit with $5.5M in federal funding cuts
AUSTIN (KXAN) — In early March, the U.S. Department of Agriculture cut half a billion in funding for food purchasing programs. As a result, the Central Texas Food Bank said it will lose $5.5 million in funding for the upcoming fiscal year. The USDA cancelled 40 deliveries of food to their facility, which equals about 761,000 meals. Some Texas families impacted by SNAP cuts; food banks brace for direct hit 'We're the front line for our families. So if we don't exist, our families don't eat.' Sari Vatske, Central Texas Food Bank President & CEO Those deliveries included vegetables, protein items and dairy products. Central Texas Food Bank President and CEO Sari Vatske said this comes as more people need their help. 'We've seen the reliance on our services increase, reaching higher than pandemic levels of need,' Vatske said. 'We were seeing about 60,000 people coming to us per week, and now we're seeing over 90,000 people needing our services weekly.' The funding cuts come as the Trump Administration and Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency say they are slashing government spending. It's why they're relying more on fundraising efforts like the Austin Reggae Festival. The tradition returns to Auditorium Shores this weekend and will celebrate its 30th year. Organizers said they expect about 20,000 attendees over the three-day event. A portion of all the proceeds benefit the food bank. Festival organizers said the event raised over one million dollars for the Central Texas Food Bank in the last 10 years alone. Over the last five years, its raised money to help the charity provide more than 2.5 million meals. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Central Texas Food Bank to break ground on Waco facility
WACO, Texas (FOX 44) – The Central Texas Food Bank (CTFB) will host a groundbreaking ceremony at its new Waco distribution facility on Tuesday. The planned 64,000 square foot facility located at 1402 Gholson Road will serve as a northern territory distribution center positioning CTFB services 100 miles closer from its main headquarters in Austin. The event will take place at 11 a.m. CTFB President and CEO Sari M. Vatske, City of Waco Mayor Jim Holmes and District One Councilmember Andrea Barefield are expected to attend the groundbreaking ceremony. The CTFB says the Waco facility will house a state-of-the-art commercial kitchen for hot meal preparation for afterschool meals for children, culinary training programs for workforce development, an on-site pantry giving neighbors in need immediate access to food, a community garden and a warehouse for rapid food inspection, sorting and distribution. Recent data estimates through CTFB's Food Access Convening Tool (FACT) revealed that neighbors in the nine northern counties of its 21-county service territory Bell, Coryell, Falls, Freestone, Lampasas, Limestone, Mills, McLennan, and San Saba face a 19.5 percent food insecurity rate, compared to 15.4 percent in southern counties, disproportionately affecting seniors, children and caregivers. More than 157,000 Heart of Texas Region neighbors overall struggle to find their next meal including one in four children. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
