Tim Butler, chief development officer for the ETFB, examines the 25 pallets of apples donated by H-E-B Grocery Company. (Contributed photo)

HEB Grocery Company donated 25 pallets of apples to the East Texas Food Bank to kick off Hunger Action Month.

The apples will be shared with the food bank’s 200 pantry partners and feeding programs across the 26 counties it serves. September is Hunger Action Month, underscoring the fact 1 in 6 East Texans including 1 in 4 children are facing hunger.

Last year, ETFB gave out to hungry East Texans 16 million pounds of fresh produce through our mobile pantries, partner agencies and resource centers. It served 208,000 households last year. By the end of the year, ETFB provided 31 million meals.

In 2022, the food insecurity rate in East Texas was 16.9%. This is higher than the national average of 13%. Food insecurity has increased in East Texas since 2021 when the food insecurity rate was 14.8%. In addition, costs per meal have gone up both nationally and in East Texas. In East Texas, meals are $3.17. Although it is less than the national average, meals cost 40 cents more than in 2021 in East Texas, according to the new Mind the Meal Gap study released earlier this year.

The East Texas Food Bank exists to fight hunger and feed hope in East Texas. The counties it serves are Harrison, Panola, Rusk, Nacogdoches, Shelby, San Augustine, Angelina, Cherokee, Smith, Gregg, Houston, Leon, Anderson, Henderson, Van Zandt, Rains, Wood, Upshur, Camp, Morris, Titus, Bowie, Cass, Marion, Red River and Franklin.

In order to meet the needs of East Texas, ETFB works with partner agencies to serve meals. They currently have four resource centers in Tyler, Texarkana, Longview and Lufkin. The food bank picked these locations due to the high rates of food insecurity in the neighborhoods near the centers. 

ETFB also offers benefits assistance to help families apply for resources. Through their counselors, families can apply for SNAP, Medicaid or CHIP. For more information on ETFB, visit https://www.easttexasfoodbank.org/.