Feedback - Summer 2022

News from the Central Texas Food Bank

Summer 2022

What’s INSIDE Kids Like Lupita Love the Healthy Food You Provide Celebrating 40 Years Together!

Gloria and William Thank You For Everything You Do

CELEBRATE OUR 40TH ANNIVERSARY BY MAKING A GIFT TO FIGHT SUMMER HUNGER. YOUR GIFT WILL BE MATCHED!

Kids Like Lupita Love the Healthy Food You Provide Erendira has four children between the ages of 5 and 15. Her youngest is Lupita, who loves to play hide and seek and is already excited to go back to school in the fall. Lupita loves carrots and grapes, thanks to the encouragement she gets from her mom to eat healthy.

“I prioritize giving [my children] fresh fruit over sweets like cookies and pastries,” Erendira says. “We can teach children healthy habits at a young age. Poor habits lead to poor health and obesity.”

“Fruit is so expensive though,” Erendira says.

Right now, Erendira’s family is living on one income. The cost of childcare is so high it makes more sense for Erendira to stay home with the kids while her husband works. Unfortunately, the bus he drives broke down recently, which has negatively impacted the family’s income.

“I coupon and look for cheaper, yet healthy, food options at the grocery store,” Erendira shares.

Lupita’s older siblings love fruit “My children eat more during the too. She says everyone can eat a summertime... I have to portion whole bag of grapes in a day. out food at times.”

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“We can teach children healthy habits at a young age.”

— Erendira Erendira and her family feel blessed to have help from the community when it becomes impossible to make ends meet.

“I can count on the Central Texas Food Bank,” she says gratefully.

Extend School and Summer Meal Flexibilities for Children “My husband and I can manage hunger, but our children cannot.”

At a Central Texas Food Bank Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) in Bastrop, Erendira and Lupita pick up the fresh fruit their family loves as well as dairy, meat and healthy snacks. With this nourishment you provide, Lupita and her siblings are looking forward to a summer full of fun at the park and riding bikes.

“Many thanks for all the donors,” Erendira says to neighbors like you. “It has been such a great help, especially with the pandemic.”

Your generosity makes resources available for Central Texans like Erendira’s family.

Thank you for providing community support for children and families who would otherwise face hunger this summer.

“My husband and I can manage hunger, but our children cannot.”

— Erendira

In response to the challenges faced by families during the COVID pandemic, Congress authorized the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to put in place waivers for crucial child nutrition programs that ensured continued meal service for those displaced from school and afterschool activities. The current waivers are set to expire on June 30, 2022 and will immediately disrupt the Summer Food Service Program operated by the Food Bank and other providers nationwide. The expiration of these waivers has the potential to impact access to meals for millions of children this summer and beyond.

Unfortunately, the FY2022 omnibus spending bill did not include an extension of USDA’s waiver authority.

Recognizing the importance of maintaining these program flexibilities, Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) introduced the Support Kids Not Red Tape Act in March. The bill extends school and summer meal flexibilities through September, 2023 and will assist schools in transitioning back to normal meal operations.

One in five Central Texas children are at risk of hunger.

The loss of federal waivers will significantly impact access to nutritious meals, particularly in Black, Latino and rural communities. Nearly 2,000 anti-hunger, nutrition, education and provider advocates sent letters in support of extending the waivers, and the Food Bank applauds the introduction of this important legislation.

Supply chain disruptions, labor shortages and escalating food costs present significant challenges for child nutrition providers to return to normal, pre-COVID operations.

Authorizing the USDA to extend its waiver authority will ensure schools and other community organizations that provide children’s meals can effectively plan for summer food service and provide nutritious meals for kids through the upcoming school year. The Food Bank supports the Support Kids Not Red Tape Act, and will continue to advocate for policies that make it easier— not harder— for kids to access the meals they need to thrive.

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YOU BRING HOPE TO PEOPLE OF ALL AG

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GES

Amplify Austin

More than 2,000 individuals contributed to the Food Bank during Amplify Austin (March 2-3), which helped create over 1.7 million meals for our Central Texas neighbors! We are so grateful to everyone who donated, raised funds, and spread the word — ­ we cannot do the work we do without the support of our community. A special thank you to our generous sponsors, matching donors — McCullough Heating and Air, The Nobelity Project, Louisiana Charities Trust, Hank and Mary Perret and Encotech.

CROP Walk

The 44th Annual Austin CROP Hunger Walk on March 6 was a success!

Walkers came together virtually to raise money and fight hunger in Central Texas and around the globe. We are so grateful for the congregations, fundraisers, donors and walkers for their continued support. A special thank you to the CROP Hunger Walk Committee for their flexibility and persistent dedication to nourishing our neighbors — this walk would not be possible without them!

Austin Reggae Fest

After two long years, Austin Reggae Fest finally returned for a three day in-person extravaganza of reggae and world music, arts, crafts, food, and great people watching. With a portion of ticket sales coming to the Food Bank, festival organizers, attendees, musicians and community partners helped raise meals for our Central Texas neighbors. Thank you to everyone who made this event possible!

Circuit of the Americas Food Drive

For the second time, Circuit of the Americas (COTA) opened up its Austin racetrack to the public to support our neighbors in need. Central Texans showed up to cruise through the world-famous track in exchange for a monetary or food donation to the Food Bank. Thank you to COTA for another incredible event and to our community for showing up in support of our neighbors — and we look forward to next time!

Applied Materials Fight Against Hunger

The results are in from Applied Materials’ annual Fight Against Hunger campaign! Applied Materials employees raised more than ever in the history of this employee giving campaign and thanks to matching funds from the Applied Materials foundation, a total of $384,016 was raised to fight hunger in Central Texas. That’s more than 1.6 million meals for our neighbors in need. Thank you to all the Champions, Captains and leaders who made the campaign a huge success.

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Celebrating 40 Years Together!

The Central Texas Food Bank was incorporated as the Capital Area Food Bank on March 3, 1982. It was only the second food bank to open in Texas.

The Food Bank was an ideal resource for many. With rising food costs and reduced federal aid to people who were struggling, our neighbors in need suddenly had access to muchneeded nutritious food at no cost.

On its first day open, the Food Bank handed out 1,000 pounds of smoked turkey and 40 dozen flour tortillas.

In 1997, the Food Bank moved into a new location on South Congress Avenue in Austin. The facility was state of the art at the time, and the first building in the nation purposebuilt as a food bank when most organizations around the country were retrofitting existing warehouses.

The new space allowed for growth. The Food Bank launched new programs to help reach our most vulnerable neighbors, including our Kids Cafe® and BackPack programs, Healthy Options Program for the Elderly (HOPE), Mobile Food Pantries and Fresh Food For Families.

In June of 2016, the Capital Area 6

Food Bank of Texas rebranded to become the Central Texas Food Bank and moved into the current facility on Metropolis Drive. Like the last move, this transition gave us more opportunities to serve families in need.

The current facility has increased storage and distribution capabilities, an organic garden growing produce for families, and a commercial kitchen that allows us to reduce food waste and cook fresh meals.

With your continued support, the Food Bank has grown from distributing 330,000 pounds in 1982 to more than 64 million pounds last year. In the last two years, our community came together to respond to a global pandemic, business closures and a devastating winter storm. Thank you for helping us be there for our Central Texas neighbors when they needed us most.

The Central Texas Food Bank and generous supporters like you have been together through thick and thin for 40 years. We hope you’ll join with us in celebrating all the things we’ve accomplished together. Our mission wouldn’t be possible without you!

Upcoming Events Austin Restaurant Weeks Austin Restaurant Weeks 2022 is back! From September 1-11, Austin-area restaurants and bars will offer curated fixed price menus and drink specials with a portion of sales benefiting the fight against hunger. Get more information and book your reservations at www.austinrestaurantweeks.org.

Did you know?

On our first day open, the Food Bank shared 1,000 pounds of smoked turkey and 40 dozen flour tortillas!

“This is a really big help.”

— Gloria

Gloria and William Thank You For Everything You Do “School is pretty fun,” says William. living on one income for the summer is But, he adds, “I enjoy my days off from tough — especially when making up for school too.”

10 extra meals for William every week.

“My favorite fruit is apples and my favorite vegetable is corn,” William shares happily. And thanks to your support, the Food Bank is able to Like most kids, he’s excited for “We monitor our expenses,” Gloria pack his summer meals with fruits, summer break and plenty of trips to says. “We only buy what we need. vegetables, healthy grains and more. the park. His mom, Gloria, is excited We limit our outings, too. Only the about trips to the park too... but for necessary foods are purchased at the This summer, William will spend a different reason. It’s there that she grocery stores.” plenty of time at the park and the pool. makes sure William eats a healthy He loves to swim, and with the healthy Last summer, Gloria was so food you help provide, he’ll have all the lunch while free school meals are on relieved to receive a message about energy he needs for summer fun! hold for the summer. the free meals for kids that the Summers can be especially Central Texas Food Bank provides at Please make a gift today that challenging for their family’s finances. a nearby park. The family lives so close will go TWICE as far to help kids Gloria is only able to work during the that she decided to stop by and check like William — and his parents — this school year because she has to take it out with William. summer. Thank you! care of William in the summer. Her “This is a really big help!” Gloria husband’s hours finally recovered says in thanks. after pandemic-related cutbacks, but 7

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Hari Jayaram, Chair Applied Materials

Pete Inman Camino Real Financial Strategies

Alice Starr, Vice Chair Kathleen W. Farlow, Treasurer Deloitte LLP Shaun Cranston, Secretary Halff Associates, Inc. Jen Alessandra Frontdoor

Pat Massey IBM Corporation Laura Mendoza Motiva Stephen Portner Frank Reid Austin Community College

Ann Benolken Estrellita J. Doolin, JD, MBA Ascension Health Kelli Green St. Edward’s University Jeff Hahn Hahn Public Monica Hernandez H-E-B

John Sanchez Capital One Bank Anneliese Tanner Mark J. Williams Shayne Woodard Waterloo Lobby & Advocacy, Inc.

FEEDBACK?

Questions, comments or change of address?

Email: communications@centraltexasfoodbank.org Read it online Download and subscribe to Food Bank publications at centraltexasfoodbank.org Make an immediate impact by giving online 1. Open your camera or a QR Scanner on your iPhone or Android device.

2. Hold your phone camera over the QR Code.

3. Wait for a web page link to pop up.

4. Click and make your donation on CTFB’s website!

MESSAGE from the BOARD CHAIR Dear Friends, The last two years have been hard for most of us, but I’ve watched us come together to help children, families and seniors facing hunger, and I’m thankful and honored to be part of such a strong community.

We’ve all gone through things we never could have anticipated and life is still not back to “normal” — it may never be. Even now, the supply chain is still snarled, and the biggest challenge for the Central Texas Food Bank continues to be securing enough food.

As another school year ends, we’re working very hard to ensure we can meet the needs of families while kids are home for the summer. This is the most difficult time of year for parents and caregivers whose budgets have to be stretched even further to cover the cost of weekday meals kids would usually eat for free at school.

To help combat summer hunger, the Siegel and Stumberg families have stepped up with an offer to match your generosity this summer — until we reach a combined matched total of $250,000, every $1 you give will be doubled to ensure our community’s children have enough to eat all summer long. Can we count on you?

As a reminder of just how much your support means to your neighbors who need a little extra help right now, please read the stories inside. Erendira and Gloria’s families will directly benefit when you join our summer matching gift challenge.

Thank you for being a part of our Central Texas Food Bank community.

Hari Jayaram Board Chair

THANK YOU SUMMER SPONSORS! PRESENTED BY:

Our mission: To nourish hungry people and lead the community in the fight against hunger.

6500 Metropolis Dr., Austin, TX 78744 | 512.282.2111 /CentralTexasFoodBank

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@CTXFoodBank