GOOD NEWS, HOUSTON
Houston Food Bank gets $1 million boost
Kinder Foundation’s big gift helps the nonprofit hire laid-off workers, rent equipment
By Emma Balter STAFF WRITER
With demand skyrocketing, Houston Food Bank officials say they have doubled distributions, now up to 1 million pounds of food per day.
Cars line up April 29 at the Berry Center in Cypress for boxes prepared by the Houston Food Bank. Every dollar donated pays for three meals.
The Kinder Foundation has donated $1 million to the Houston Food Bank to assist the nonprofit with its extensive COVID-19 efforts.
The food bank, which provides meals to food-insecure people in 18 counties in southeast Texas, has ramped up its operations significantly since the beginning of the pandemic. It has seen an increase in demand of 130 to 150%, and in response has doubled its distribution to between 750,000 and 1 million pounds of food per day.
The Kinder donation “means a great deal to us,” said Houston Food Bank president and CEO Brian Greene. “We’re trying to say yes to every food opportunity we can, given the level of need. Making sure we’re resourced up to do that is critical.”
Running at such high volumes is both difficult and costly. Social distancing measures have increased the need for space in the food bank’s facilities and limits the number of people working at one time. On the other hand, the number of volunteers coming in decreased when stay-at-home orders went into effect. They picked back up with time, but still fall short of demand.
“Labor is turning out to be one of the biggest issues,” said Greene. “There’s just so much work to do.”
The food bank started hiring temporary hospitality workers who had been laid off from their regular jobs, something the Kinder’s donation will allow them to continue to do. The funds will also be used to cover expenses from distribution trucks, an additional facility the food bank has rented out for its COVID-19 operations, and acquiring fresh produce and dry goods.
The Houston Food Bank team estimates that for every $1 donated, three meals are provided to the community. The Kinder Foundation’s gift represents 3 million meals.
“Being able to feed yourself and your family is fundamental to the quality of your life,” said Nancy Kinder, president and CEO of the foundation. “The Kinder Foundation is deeply proud to support the Houston Food Bank during this turbulent time.”