Community
BY AUDREY BAKER CONTRIBUTIONS BY JESSICA SHORTEN & KEVIN VU
Brazoria County sees increase in food-insecure population
More than 50,000 people across Brazoria County are facing food insecurity, according to a May report from Feeding America, a nationwide network of food banks and programs. By the numbers Feeding America’s annual Map the Meal Gap study provides estimates of local food insecurity and food costs for every county and congressional district, according to the report. In 2023—the latest year for which data are avail- able—the food insecurity rate in Brazoria County stood at 14.2%, with more than 54,000 individuals struggling to nd adequate access to food. The percentage represents a slight increase from the previous year’s rate of 12.9%, data shows. In Galveston County, approximately 16.4% of the population struggled with food insecurity in 2023, up from 15.1% the previous year. Between 2019 and 2023, the number of food-insecure individuals in the county increased by more than 10,000, according to the study. As de ned in the report, food insecurity occurs when a household cannot access enough food due to lack of money or other resources. Those counted as being food-insecure are the individuals who live in a food-insecure household. “This year’s study shows we still have work to do in creating a future where every child has access to the meals they need,” Melanie Hall, chief research and innovation o cer for Feeding America, said in the report. The local impact The food pantry at Pearland Neighborhood Cen- ter, a multiservice center in Pearland, has seen an estimated increase of 100 families per week in the
last six months, PNC Executive Director Deborah Rubestello said. “We’re actually seeing a lot of new people that are coming in for food, whether it’s job loss or health reasons or just the fact that the cost of living has gone up dramatically,” Rubestello said. Demand for food also increases during the summer months because children are no longer receiving free or reduced-price lunch at school, Rubestello said. On the supply side, increased food prices have put a strain on PNC’s resources. “We get food through the Houston Food Bank, and when the Houston Food Bank is low on food, then we’re low on food,” she said. “Even for us to go buy food to ll the pantry, with the prices being at an increase, that’s less food that we can purchase, which is less that you can give out.” The big picture As previously reported by Community Impact , President Donald Trump’s budget reconciliation bill, titled the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025, was signed into law on July 4. The bill calls for cutting about $186 billion by 2034 from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. SNAP is a program that provides food bene ts to low-income families to supplement their grocery budget to a ord essential foods. Currently, SNAP requires most people ages 16 to 59 to follow work rules, meaning a person must be working or partici- pating in a work program at least 20 hours per week, according to Texas Health and Human Services. Many individuals struggling with access to food may not qualify for SNAP bene ts. The study esti- mated that more than half of food-insecure people in Brazoria County in 2023 were not eligible.
Food insecurity rates over time
Brazoria County
Texas
11.4%
2019
14.1%
11.6%
2020
13%
10.7%
2021
13.7%
12.9%
2022
16.4%
14.2%
2023
17.6%
0% 5% 10% 15% 20%
SOURCE: FEEDING AMERICA COMMUNITY IMPACT
“We’ve actually seen a lot of our middle-class families that are going through some hardships at this time that are coming in to get
food. We’re not just seeing the low-income families.” DEBORAH RUBESTELLO, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, PEARLAND NEIGHBORHOOD CENTER
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