{"id":374309,"date":"2026-07-15T18:04:17","date_gmt":"2026-07-15T18:04:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/374309\/"},"modified":"2026-07-15T18:04:17","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T18:04:17","slug":"central-texas-food-bank-calls-on-community-to-help-meet-record-summer-need","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/374309\/","title":{"rendered":"Central Texas Food Bank Calls on Community to Help Meet Record Summer Need"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summer is often associated with vacations and time off from school, but for many Central Texas families, it also brings an increase in food insecurity.<\/p>\n

That’s why the Central Texas Food Bank<\/a> is ramping up its efforts to provide meals for children and families across the region, and asking the community to lend a hand.<\/p>\n

Chief Development Officer Mark Jackson joined We Are Austin to discuss the growing need and how Central Texans can help.<\/p>\n

\"Chief<\/p>\n

Chief Development Officer Mark Jackson joined We Are Austin to discuss the growing need and how Central Texans can help.<\/p>\n

Hunger Reaches Record Levels<\/p>\n

The Central Texas Food Bank serves a 21-county region, partnering with more than 250 organizations to help ensure families have access to nutritious food year-round.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe reality is that food insecurity is at the highest rate it’s ever been in our region,\u201d Jackson said.<\/p>\n

Summer can be especially difficult for families as children lose access to free and reduced-price school meals while household expenses continue to climb.<\/p>\n

\u201cKids are out of school, and they’re losing access to those free and reduced-price lunches,\u201d Jackson explained. \u201cThere are increased energy costs, childcare costs, all these compounding factors that are putting people at risk of hunger.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Central<\/p>\n

Central Texas Food Bank Calls on Community to Help Meet Record Summer Need<\/p>\n

Feeding Kids All Summer<\/p>\n

To help fill that gap, the Central Texas Food Bank operates a summer meals program in partnership with more than 80 community sites throughout the Austin area.<\/p>\n

This summer alone, the organization expects to provide more than 240,000 meals to children.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s such a fantastic program and so critical,\u201d Jackson said. \u201cBut the reality is, even that is still falling short of meeting the need.\u201d<\/p>\n

Many meal sites also offer educational and enrichment activities, giving children a safe place to gather while school is out.<\/p>\n

\"Central<\/p>\n

Central Texas Food Bank Calls on Community to Help Meet Record Summer Need<\/p>\n

Expanding to Meet Demand<\/p>\n

As demand continues to grow, the food bank is expanding its reach.<\/p>\n

Jackson announced that the organization’s new Waco facility is coming online, helping improve food distribution across its large service area.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe’re so grateful that the community has invested in us,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

How You Can Help<\/p>\n

The Central Texas Food Bank says financial donations remain one of the most effective ways to fight hunger.<\/p>\n

Currently, the organization is purchasing approximately $1.3 million worth of food each month, but thanks to its buying power, every donated dollar goes much further.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can leverage a dollar and turn it into three meals,\u201d Jackson said.<\/p>\n

Many donations are also being matched through generous community partners, allowing supporters to double their impact.<\/p>\n

The organization also welcomes volunteers throughout the year to help sort, pack and distribute food.<\/p>\n

To donate, volunteer or find food assistance, visit CentralTexasFoodBank.org.<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Chief<\/p>\n

Chief Development Officer Mark Jackson joined We Are Austin to discuss the growing need and how Central Texans can help.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Summer is often associated with vacations and time off from school, but for many Central Texas families, it…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":374310,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[132,134,133],"class_list":["post-374309","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-austin","tag-austin","tag-austin-headlines","tag-austin-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/374309","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=374309"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/374309\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/374310"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=374309"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=374309"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=374309"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}