One in every five people in Southeast Texas lives with food insecurity, with no guarantee that they will eat three healthy meals a day.
In 2019, the Southeast Texas Food Bank addressed the problem with more than 100 community partners, including churches, schools, senior centers, and neighborhood pantries. They delivered eight million meals to people across a 6,000-square-mile area.
Now their job is tougher, as the economic downturn due to coronavirus pandemic has further limited people’s ability to afford nutritious food. Families with children are among those struggling the most because schools have closed and ended free breakfast and lunch programs for low-income students.
Bechtel Group Foundation is helping to fill kitchen shelves around Southeast Texas with a $30,000 gift to the Southeast Texas Food Bank through the new Bechtel COVID-19 Relief Fund. The gift will underwrite 120,000 meals, thanks to the food bank’s ability to produce four meals from every donated dollar.
In this podcast, Dan Maher, Southeast Texas Food Bank president and CEO, talks to Mat Ovenden, manager of communications and external affairs for Bechtel's Oil, Gas and Chemicals business unit to discuss his organization’s mission, how COVID-19 has impacted the region, and the importance of having strong partners in the fight to end hunger.
To learn more about the Southeast Texas Food Bank’s work and donate to the cause, visit setxfoodbank.org or follow the organization on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.