Opinion: Lawmakers can help in ending childhood hunger in Texas
More and more Texans, especially working parents, are experiencing food insecurity. This means their household lacks consistent access to enough food for every member to lead a healthy life, which can have a long-term impact on kids.
A new statewide poll commissioned by No Kid Hungry Texas sheds light on the realities many Texans are facing, and it’s bleak. Nearly three-quarters of Texans said it has become harder to afford groceries for their families over the last year. Parents with school-aged children and rural Texans have been hit the hardest: roughly a quarter of both groups worry their household will not have enough to eat.
Through a combination of expired pandemic-era relief programs, rising inflation, and chronic socioeconomic disparities, we are seeing an alarming rate of hunger across our state.
Poll results show 40% of parents with kids in Texas public schools are experiencing one or more symptoms of food insecurity, ranging from not being able to afford nutritious food, to skipping meals, going an entire day without eating or running out of food at home.
Nearly one in three parents surveyed had to choose between buying food and paying for other essentials like rent, utilities, or gas.
We are seeing it all around us in our communities, evidenced by higher demand at food pantries and skyrocketing school meal debt. All of us have a neighbor, a co-worker or a friend experiencing this struggle.
Working and middle-income families aren’t exempt. One in three adults with annual household incomes of $50k-$100k reported food insecurity, and nearly two-thirds said they would be worried about their ability to buy groceries if faced with an unexpected expense like a medical bill or car repair.
The breakfast and lunch served at school can be a great way to ensure kids are getting three healthy meals a day. However, even these costs are starting to pile up, putting many in an unthinkable position - in debt to their schools so their children can eat.
Reduced-price school breakfast and lunch cost up to 40 cents each. While this price may appear modest at first glance, it remains a barrier for many working families, especially those with several children in school. Over the course of a month, for example, a family with four children could have to pay $80, a significant expense for families living on the edge.
We heard firsthand from parents that inflation has made it more challenging to stretch their budgets to cover school meals. Educators shared stories of students turned away because they were unable to afford lunch, and many stepped in to foot the bill, paying for a child’s meal or otherwise bringing their own snacks to share with kids.
It’s clear that the current crisis cannot continue, and Texans agree. Ninety percent of respondents said ending childhood hunger should be a top priority for legislators, and 95% said addressing childhood hunger should be a bipartisan issue.
Luckily, the Texas legislature has an opportunity to do that through the budget process this session. Eliminating the reduced-priced meal category and allowing those students to eat at no cost could positively impact more than 230,000 Texas kids, many of whom have working parents making too much to qualify for benefits, but still struggling to afford food. This measure would cost $32 million for the biennium, a tiny fraction of the state's record budget surplus of $32.7 billion, and an important investment in our next generation.
Texas lawmakers should take a hard look at these numbers, especially the overwhelming majority of Texans who want lawmakers to prioritize bipartisan solutions to the hunger crisis in our communities.
The time is now. The health and wellbeing of our youngest Texans is on the line.
Sanchez is the Texas Director of No Kid Hungry.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Opinion: Lawmakers can help to end childhood hunger in Texas
