East Texas Food Bank announces “Spread the Love Peanut Butter Drive” Longview versus Tyler competition

Tyler Mayor Don Warren and Longview Mayor Kristen Ishihara are holding a friendly peanut butter competition in September as part of Hunger Action Month.

“Each city will collect jars of peanut butter for the East Texas Food Bank’s pantry partners,” said David Emerson, CEO of the East Texas Food Bank. “Peanut Butter is nutritious, kid-friendly and high in protein and a food item that most East Texans keep in stock. We hope residents of both cities participate to help us fill the shelves of our pantry partners in Longview and Tyler.”

Jars will be collected this month through September 27 in ETFB food barrels in Brookshire’s, Super 1 Foods and FRESH locations in both Tyler and Longview.  Donors can also buy jars of peanut butter online at EastTexasFoodBank.org/pbdrive

“Life can get sticky, and sometimes you need a helping hand,” said Tyler Mayor Don Warren. “Let’s support each other as East Texans and spread generosity as smoothly as we spread peanut butter.”

“The East Texas Food Bank has played a tremendous role in supporting our community with the recent opening of their Longview location, as costs have made food insecurity an increased issue,” Longview Mayor Kristen Ishihara said. “Longview is excited to give back to support those efforts and grateful for the partnership of East Texas Food Bank and the City of Tyler.”

Hunger Action Month is held every September as part of Feeding America’s initiative to bring awareness about food insecurity in our communities. In East Texas, 1 in 6 adults and 1 in 4 children are hungry.

“We are thrilled that Brookshire’s is partnering with ETFB and allowing us to place collection barrels in 12 stores located in Tyler and Longview,” said Emerson. “So when you are shopping for groceries you can drop off a jar of peanut butter in one of the barrels. Also we ask any businesses who collect at their location to bring their donations to any of the participating locations by September 26 and we will pick-up at the grocery stores.”

Stores participating include:

• Brookshire’s – 2020 Roseland Blvd in Tyler
• Brookshire’s – 2734 E. 5th St. in Tyler
• Brookshire’s – 100 Rice Rd in Tyler
• FRESH by Brookshire’s – 6991 Old Jacksonville Hwy in Tyler
• Super 1 Foods – 1105 E Gentry Pkwy in Tyler
• Super 1 Foods – 113 NNW Loop 323 in Tyler
• Super 1 Foods – 3828 Troup Hwy in Tyler
• Super 1 Foods – 172 Centennial Pkwy in Tyler
• Brookshire’s – 3354 Gilmer Rd in Longview
• Super 1 Foods – 1217 E Marshall Ave in Longview
• Super 1 Foods – 1800 S High St in Longview
• Super 1 Foods – 2301 W Loop 281 in Longview

Results will be tallied up weekly and posted on the ETFB social media pages and web site, so each city can see how they are doing in the peanut butter competition. “No matter which city collects more jars of peanut butter, everyone is a winner because the food will help East Texans in need,” added Emerson.

East Texas Food Bank to offer new Mobile Pantry in Center

The East Texas Food Bank (ETFB) will offer a new Mobile Pantry on the fourth Friday of the month with fresh produce in Center, from 4-5:30 p.m. beginning July 26. The distribution will take place at First Baptist Church, 117 Cora Street.

“Shelby County has a great need for food assistance as 19% of the residents including 31% of children are food insecure according to the latest data from Feeding America’s Map the Meal Gap,” said David Emerson, CEO of the East Texas Food Bank. “We know the need is great and plan to serve 400-600 households at the new mobile pantry distribution each month.”

The East Texas Food Bank currently has nine pantries in Shelby County in Center, Joaquin, and Timpson.

The drive-through Mobile Pantry is open to anyone needing food and there are no ID requirements.

Volunteers are needed each month. Please contact Derek Roberts at treveion22@outlook.com

East Texas Food Bank begins Free Summer Food Program

The East Texas Food Bank kicks off the free Summer Food Program for children on Tuesday, June 4, at 42 East Texas locations.

“It’s so important to make sure children do not go hungry in the summer just because school is out,” said David Emerson, CEO of the East Texas Food Bank. “Here in East Texas, 1 in 4 children are food insecure so it’s up to our community to make sure we fill that meal gap when the school year ends and kids lose access to free and reduced-price meals they depend on.”

In Tyler, the Summer Food Program will kick-off at the Glass Recreation Center at 501 W. 32^nd street with a special celebration of free activities and a free meal from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Activities include face painting, games, a petting zoo, Tyler fire and police department, Andy the Ambulance, games and free Kona Ice.

In 2023, the East Texas Food Bank served 42,000 meals to over 1,700 children throughout East Texas. This summer, ETFB will serve 64,000 meals to over 3,000 children.

Meals are provided at various community sites Monday-Friday. There is no need to register. The program is for children 18 and younger. Some locations offer breakfast and lunch but all offer lunch. Kids eat the meal at the location. Typical breakfast menus are cereal or breakfast bars, plus juice and milk, while lunch includes wraps, wedges, sandwiches with deli meat, pizza lunchables, fresh fruit and chocolate milk.

Besides the meal, some of the locations at parks, churches and libraries offer other free activities for children. Check with the Summer Food Program you plan to visit for more information.

ETFB also provides food at various campuses for kids enrolled in summer school but these are not open to the public.

For the full list of locations and serving times visit EastTexasFoodBank.org/SummerFood or by calling 903-597-3663.

Feeding America study shows more people are hungry in East Texas New Map the Meal Gap numbers released today

More East Texans are food insecure and the increase in food prices and the amount of money they need to buy food has reached its highest point in the last 20 years, according to Feeding America’s annual Map the Meal Gap study.

At the local level, Map the Meal Gap finds that in East Texas more people are hungry with the new data numbers showing 1 in 6 East Texas adults are hungry including 1 in 4 children with a meal gap of over 40.8 million meals. That is a significant change from the 1 in 7 adults including 1 in 5 children from the previous study. The East Texas Food Bank is one of more than 200 food banks that are part of Feeding America’s nationwide food bank network.

Map the Meal Gap is the only study that provides local-level estimates of food insecurity and food costs for every county and congressional district. The study builds upon the USDA’s latest report of national and state data, which showed a sharp increase in food insecurity in 2022 amidst historically high food prices and the expiration of many pandemic-era programs. Map the Meal Gap emphasizes the urgent call for all of us to take action.

“This year’s study confirms what we hear from people facing hunger: higher food prices are making hunger in America worse,” said Kim Morris, Chief Impact Officer for the East Texas Food Bank. “Map the Meal Gap helps us understand the impact of food insecurity and underlines that we can choose to end hunger in America by coming together as a nation.”

Other key findings of the 2022 Map the Meal Gap in East Texas versus 2021 data include:

• 1 in 6 adults or 16.9% are food insecure compared to 1 in 7 adults (14.8%) from 2021 data
• 1 in 4 children or 26.1% are food insecure compared to 1 in 5 children (20.9%) from 2021 data
• 217,260 are food insecure in East Texas up from 188,530
• 78,620 of children are food insecure up from 63,260

Income and Food Spending: 

• Nearly 50% of people facing hunger may not qualify for SNAP benefits due to income thresholds.
• The national food budget shortfall, which reflects the extra money that people who are food insecure report needing to cover their food needs, has hit a record high of $33.1 billion, up nearly 43% from the previous year. This translates to $24.73 a week per person, on average.

Food Costs and Meal Prices: 

• Meal costs vary significantly throughout the nation and here in East Texas the average cost of a meal is $3.57 up from $3.17. Costs are at their highest point in the last two decades even after adjusting for inflation.

      Food Insecurity by Race and Ethnicity in East Texas from the 2022 Map the Meal Gap vs. 2021 data

• 29% of Blacks are food insecure (1 in 3) compared to 24% or (1 in 4) from 2021 data
• 22% of Hispanics are food insecure (1 in 5) compared to 16% or (1 in 6) from 2021 data
• 12% of Whites are food insecure (1 in 8) compared to 9% or (1 in 11) from 2021 data

The Map the Meal Gap study is supported by Conagra Brands Foundation and NielsenIQ/NIQ. Additional key takeaways from the report can be found on the Map the Meal Gap website along with an interactive map that details food insecurity by geography, income, race and ethnicity.

Methodology:

Map the Meal Gap uses publicly available data from the USDA ERS, U.S. Census Bureau and Bureau of Labor Statistics to estimate local food insecurity at the county, congressional district and state levels. The study also estimates local meal costs and food budget shortfalls using food price data from NIQ based on the USDA Thrifty Food Plan, and grocery sales tax data for every county and state in the country.

To learn how food insecurity impacts your community, click here.

The East Texas Food Bank to Open Texarkana Resource Center and Pantry

The East Texas Food Bank (ETFB) will open on May 14, the new Texarkana Resource Center at 3019 S. Lake Dr. in Texarkana, TX as part of ETFB’s overall strategic plan to distribute more food and serve more people.

“The Texarkana Resource Center is located near low-income neighborhoods, where 9,000 people live below the federal poverty line,” said David Emerson, CEO of the East Texas Food Bank.

The Texarkana Resource Center will include a “Healthy Food Pantry” to provide nutritious food through a neighbor-choice distribution model, as well as an access point for other services meant to help families reach self-sufficiency. The center will be open several days a week including some evenings and weekends to increase access. The Benefits Assistance Program will also be available to help clients apply for SNAP and other social service benefits.

“We currently estimate that ETFB will serve 300 Bowie County households each week and provide 1,000,000 meals annually,” added Emerson.

“The food pantry is meant to serve households at or below the emergency food income guidelines,” said Kim Morris, ETFB Chief Impact Officer. “For example, a family of four would qualify to receive food if they make less than $55,500 per year. Other people who qualify to receive assistance are those experiencing a crisis such as a house fire, tornado, or extreme medical bills.”

According to “Map the Meal Gap,” an annual study conducted by Feeding America, an estimated 14 percent of Bowie County residents are food insecure and at risk of hunger, including almost 21 percent of children.

“Every day we encounter new neighbors who have never stepped foot into a pantry asking for assistance,” added Morris. “We want East Texans to know that we are here for you and want to be a resource for food as well as other services.”

“For over 33 years, ETFB has been a part of the Texarkana community through our 10 pantry partners, soup kitchens, senior box and children’s programs,” added Emerson. “This location will be open extended hours including Friday afternoon and Saturday morning when our other partners are closed. We also want to invite other non-profit agencies to have a booth on pantry days so they can offer their services to our neighbors.”

The Texarkana Resource Center has received generous funding from the T.L.L. Temple Foundation. Wynn Rosser, president and chief executive officer of the foundation, said, “rural East Texas has higher rates of food insecurity than our state and nation. The foundation is grateful ETFB is bringing this innovative approach to Texarkana where they will be working alongside families and the community to ensure our neighbors thrive.”

“This is our fourth resource center to open in East Texas,” said Emerson. “In 2021, we opened the Deep East Texas Resource Center in Lufkin, in October of 2023 we opened the Longview Resource Center, in December of 2023, we opened our Tyler Resource Center and now we are excited to open this branch in Texarkana.”

The Texarkana Resource Center Branch Manager is Shan Parks. Director of Engagement is Amber Adams. Eva Thomas is pantry/warehouse lead and Aaron Sanchez is pantry/warehouse associate.

For more information on how you can volunteer, donate, hours of operation or to see if you qualify for food assistance, please visit Txkrcpantry.org.