North Texas Food Bank is working to raise awareness of hunger

The annual Face of Hunger campaign emphasizes that hunger can impact anyone across the community.

Nancy never thought she would need to visit a food pantry. After an unexpected divorce, however, her financial situation changed, and she found herself recalculating her budget every time gas or groceries went up in price.

“I used to go through life without it mattering how much gas cost, but now every penny counts,” she says. “Everything that goes up means money is taken from somewhere else.”

A friend told her about a North Texas Food Bank (NTFB) partner pantry and Nancy visited for the first time this fall. She said staff and volunteers welcomed her with kindness and sent her home with meat, fresh produce, canned goods and other pantry staples. “I never thought I would need their services, but I really did need the help,” she says, adding that she hopes to give back as soon as she’s in a more stable place. “As a mom, I’ve learned a big lesson: It’s okay to ask when you need help.”

Nancy is one of the over 744,000 North Texans who face hunger in the 12 counties served by NTFB. That means 1 in 6 neighbors, including 1 in 5 children, don’t always know where their next meal will come from, according to data from Feeding America.

What’s more, Texas now has the highest number of individuals facing hunger in the nation, and the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex ranks third for the number of people who are food insecure, with an estimated 1.3 million people at risk of hunger.

NTFB’s annual “Face of Hunger” holiday giving campaign seeks to raise awareness of the fact that hunger can impact anyone — and often those we least expect.

“The face of hunger is everywhere — it could be someone you see every day,” says Sarah Burns, Vice President of External Affairs for NTFB. “Too many of our neighbors are making impossible choices between putting food on the table and paying for medicine or rent. No one should have to make that kind of decision.”

NTFB is here to ensure that everyone has access to the nutritious food they need. Together with its Agency Network of nearly 500 partner pantries and community organizations, NTFB distributed a record 116 million physical meals during the last fiscal year. Additionally, NTFB’s Social Service Assistance team enabled 20.6 million meals through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), for which they help neighbors apply.

As inflation persists and the cost of living continues outpacing the growth of wages, more neighbors are struggling to afford food while managing costs for essential items like housing, transportation and health care. According to a recent report by Moody’s Analytics, the average family is now spending $208 more a month to purchase the same goods and services as they were a year ago.

The holidays often put an added strain on seniors and families living paycheck –to –paycheck. And this year, many families are still recovering from the impact of delayed wages or SNAP benefits due to the government shutdown.

NTFB ramped up its response efforts during the shutdown, hosting special distributions with its partners and providing additional food so partner pantries could meet increased need. Now, NTFB is working to restock its shelves to continue meeting the demand for food assistance across North Texas.

The “Face of Hunger” campaign supports these efforts with an ambitious goal of raising enough funds to provide 50 million meals. Meals supported through the campaign will be provided to children, families and older adults across our community.

That includes seniors like Martin, who is living on a fixed income while battling major health issues. Martin and his wife visit NTFB partner Metrocrest Services each month for fresh food, canned goods and other items. “If we didn’t come here, we wouldn’t be eating,” he says. “It’s a big blessing.”

The meals also support working parents like Taylor. Taylor is a teacher for an area public school district, and his wife also works in education. With four kids, Taylor says that they don’t make enough to pay for housing, food and other necessities. Thanks to a pantry near their home, they don’t have to worry about having something to feed their kids each night.

“This is the difference between us eating and not, honestly,” he says.

Along with food distributed through its network of agencies, NTFB partners with the Texas Department of Agriculture to support seniors through the Commodity Supplemental Food Program. Nearly 3 million meals were provided to an average of 7,371 seniors during the last fiscal year through that program.

NTFB focuses on child hunger through its 43 school pantries that directly serve students and their families at campuses throughout its 12-county service area. NTFB also runs a Food 4 Kids backpack program, which provides around 5,500 children each Friday with a bag of nonperishable, kid-friendly food to ensure they have something to eat over the weekend.

The school pantry partnerships include pantries at area colleges to support the more than 30% of college students who report experiencing hunger at some point during their pursuit of a degree. With Brother Bill’s Helping Hand, NTFB is also partnering with Dallas ISD at its Resource Centers. At each Resource Center, families can obtain food twice each month, as well as accessing other services, such as counseling, adult education classes and after-school enrichment.

Innovative programs like the DISD Resource Centers are not only ensuring neighbors have access to nourishing food, but also addressing some of the root causes of hunger through programs that fuel self-sufficiency.

Ultimately, Burns says the “Face of Hunger” campaign is about more than filling plates — it’s about supporting dignity and hope with every meal.

“Food is a powerful connector,” Burns says. “It brings families together and strengthens communities. Our hope is that this campaign not only fills plates, but also fosters meaningful connection for those facing challenges this holiday season and beyond.”

This article first appeared in FWD-DFW by the Dallas Morning News on December 19.