AUSTIN, Texas - The Central Texas Food Bank has received a $55,000 grant from Starbucks to help alleviate hunger in Central Texas.
The food bank says that the money will support its mobile pantries and enable it to sustain the program across its 21-county service territory while continuing to adapt the program to safely distribute food during the COVID-19 pandemic.
By taking food directly to people who face hunger, the food bank says, mobile food pantries fill geographic and service gaps in food assistance by providing those in need with basic staples, fruits, and vegetables.
"One in seven people in Central Texas struggle with hunger,” said Derrick Chubbs, president and CEO of the Central Texas Food Bank, in a news release. “We are proud to partner with Starbucks and Feeding America to ensure that people who struggle with hunger have access to wholesome meals. This grant exemplifies what we can accomplish when we work together.”
Last year, the Central Texas Food Bank’s Mobile Pantry Program provided more than 4.9 million pounds of staple foods, fresh produce, and meats to an average of 6,594 households per month.
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“Our local communities need our support now more than ever, and Starbucks is committed to doing our part to help alleviate hunger in the U.S.,” says Jane Maly, social impact manager at Starbucks. “Our investment in Central Texas Food Bank’s innovative mobile food pantry program goes beyond our food donation partnership to reach even more families in need closer to where they live.”
Starbucks has been investing in Feeding America programs and member food banks across the U.S. This summer, the company has re-invested $1 million to support mobile food pantry programs for 13 food banks across the United States, including the Central Texas Food Bank.
For more information about the Central Texas Food Bank you can go to its website.
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