Hungry Texans need our help
It is up to those lucky ones who can still afford UberEats to do all we can to aid them.
Hunger in America is not the starvation of distended bellies, protruding rib cages and glazed eyes.
In the land of plenty, it is the elderly woman who splits a cup of ramen noodles between breakfast and dinner. The young boy whose attention wanders in math class awaiting his one full meal of the day in the school cafeteria. The single mom who longs to buy fresh fruits and veggies for her family but can only afford the dollar menu.
And now, in these days of the novel coronavirus, it’s the snaking line of hundreds of cars outside a San Antonio food bank and a disabled couple in Jasper who takes turns eating their dwindling supply of canned vegetables.
American food insecurity, a term that usually describes only 11 percent of U.S. households, is becoming a grim reality for millions more who find themselves seeking help for the first time.
That includes Chris Williams, whose family of four went from volunteering at the Houston Food Bank — unloading and helping pack boxes with peanut butter and rice — to filling a box of their own.
Just a month ago, Williams was a pipeline designer for an oil company and the closest he came to going hungry was opening the fridge to find it pillaged by one of his two teen sons. Now he has joined the 1 million Texans out of work due to the novel coronavirus.
“We’re working to stretch things into a couple of meals versus just one now,” the Katy father told the editorial board. “We have to tell the kids, ‘OK guys, this needs to be a leftover for tomorrow.’ We need to be mindful.”
Across the country — from California to Florida — the scenes of miles-long lines of people waiting for food have become commonplace. In San Antonio recently, thousands of cars packed into a flea market parking lot — 10,000 households reaching for a lifeline.
It was a scene so jarring that one reader wrote to ask if the photo in the Chronicle was Photoshopped. No. It’s real. Even if those of us with freezers full of meat and bread have trouble fathoming it.
It is up to us, the lucky ones who can still afford UberEats deliveries, to do all we can to help.
The current crisis has laid bare the fact that 40 percent of adults in the United States lack the resources to cover an unexpected $400 expense. Brian Greene, Houston Food Bank CEO, is used to seeing people who suddenly lose their job, or need to pay for medical care, forced to visit a food pantry.
The difference now is the sheer number of those who didn’t think it would happen to them.
“It’s been staggering,” Greene said. Whereas before, they could see up to 250 families in a day, “it’s now feasible for a single food distribution point to have more than 500 people lining up.” The food bank partners with hundreds of groups to provide services and most are seeing double or nearly triple the traffic.
Last time they saw a huge jump was after Hurricane Harvey, but the current need dwarfs even that, officials said. Harvey happened in Houston, and other food banks were able to step in and help. The pandemic is everywhere, and resources are stretched thin.
Many places that used to donate food are shut down, including restaurants and hotels. Grocery stores have reduced inventory to share as customers continue to stock up. This means food banks must purchase more non-perishable items and quickly turn around the fresh produce that would normally go to restaurant kitchens.
Feeding America, the nation’s largest network of food banks, has projected a $1.4 billion shortfall in the next six months.
So far, Houstonians are stepping up with donations — including famous residents such as Jim “Mattress
Mack” McIngvale and the Astros’ Alex Bregman and Justin Verlander. Harris County has committed $800,000 and at the state level, Gov. Greg Abbott has secured help from the federal government, which may bring more than 40 million pounds of food to Texas.
But as long as the pandemic outbreak continues, and likely long after that, we must help hungry Texans, whether through cash donations or by volunteering to pack or deliver food. This will be an ongoing struggle.
“A crisis like this helps you put things in perspective,” Williams said. “A crisis like this helps you see the heart of a nation, of its people.”
If you’re one of the many still employed, sitting at home counting your blessings, share some with your neighbors. Every little bit helps.