EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14/CBS4) — An organization whose mission is to fight food insecurity in the Borderland, went before City Council Monday morning to show how high the food insecurity rate is in El Paso.

According to The Kelly Center for Hunger Relief, El Paso is facing alarming rates of food insecurity, with over 300,000 residents affected.

The presentation details that the food insecurity rate in the nation is 12.8 percent, but in El Paso is 35 percent, double Texas’ average which is 17.6 percent.

The center reports that food insecurity costs the city over $745 million annually, citing that without enough food, people miss school or work due to illness.

The USDA’s website features a study that looks at food insecurity around the country from 2021 to 2023.

According to the study, the national average grew from 12.8 percent in 2022, to 13.5 percent in 2023.

USDA’s study:

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The Kelly Center states in their presentation that there are 125,000 food insecure households in El Paso.

They further add that they serviced over 27,000 food-insecure homes in 2024, highlighting the urgent need for action.

Warren E. Goodell, the executive director at The Kelly Center for Hunger Relief, said food insecurity is not a new problem, but rather something that has been brewing in the Borderland for generations.

“It’s not a problem that happened yesterday, it’s not a problem that happened because of COVID, it’s not a problem that’s happening because the government is cutting social services—it’s a problem that has been consistent in our community for many, many years,” Goodell said.

According to Goodell, the issue comes from systemic racism, tracing its roots back to the 1950s and 60s when El Paso marketed itself as a low-wage manufacturing center, with the Hispanic community relegated to the Segundo Barrio.

City Rep. Chris Canales, who is part of Kelly Center’s board of directors, said he hopes City Council can address the issue sometime in the future.

Canales said that Council currently is not taking action as it is not in the budget, adding that they wanted to present the information to spark some conversation.

KFOX14/CBS4 spoke with some El Pasoans who said they wished more people were aware of the issues. .

“It just kind of makes me sad, because there’s so many people out there that have all this money and resources to give,” one resident said.

Another added, “We’ve got to get it out to the people that if you are insecure, don’t be insecure, come on out, get the food, everybody understands.”

The city council aims to explore solutions to reduce these staggering numbers and improve community well-being.

The Kelly Center for Hunger Relief is a volunteer-driven organization.

If you or anyone you know would like to volunteer for the Kelly Center, visit their official website or their social media accounts at Facebook, Instagram and X.

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