The Face of Hunger campaign was launched by the North Texas Food Bank (NTFB) to provide support for North Texas families this holiday season who are dealing with food insecurity. The fundraising goal for this year’s holiday campaign is enough to provide around 42.6 million nutritious meals, according to an NTFB press release.
This year the Beaumont Foundation of America and Sammons Enterprises will double each gift up to $200,000 for The Face of Hunger campaign. This means that each dollar will be able to provide six meals, according to the NTFB.
The Chief External Affairs Officer for the NTFB, Erica Yaeger, shared in the press release that the campaign is a staple of the North Texas community.
“Helping our neighbors is a holiday staple for the compassionate community of North Texas and the need for the gift of health and hope this holiday season is greater now than ever as we face 40-year high inflation rates. Join the North Texas Food Bank and our feeding network in providing nutritious meals this holiday season to children, seniors and families in our 13-county service area. The face of hunger is closer than you think,” Yaeger said.
The holiday campaign highlights the fact that hunger does not discriminate. It is an issue that can be faced by anyone of any economic class or race, the press release shares.
In North Texas, around 700,000 people deal with hunger. That includes over 250,000 children -which works out to one in every five in the region served by the NTFB- earning the region fourth place nationally for food-insecure children, according to the press release.
The NTFB has had a 17% increase in provided meals since March. “With inflated food, gas, and housing costs, our neighbors in every zip code, many of whom were struggling before the pandemic, are facing increasingly difficult choices every day – deciding whether to purchase groceries or pay for other necessities such as gas, medicine or utilities. That’s a decision no one should have to make,” Yaeger said in the press release.
The NTFB website states that the need to help with hunger always increases during the holiday season. “Look around and you’ll see the face of hunger — in your child’s class, in your neighborhood, on the way to work. The need for help is always greater during the holidays,” the website shares. “After this financially challenging year, more North Texans need your help than ever before.”
The NTFB and its feeding network of more than 400 food pantries and organizations currently provide access to an average of 12.3 million meals each month. The network stretches across 13 counties.
The NTFB has also launched the $500 million Nourish North Texas campaign in response to “the ongoing elevated hunger crisis,” according to the press release. During the last fiscal year, the food bank provided around 137 million nutritious meals. This was an increase of 9% from the previous year.
The campaign ends on December 31.