MAPPING THE MEAL GAP The Lake Houston community is home to five food distribution partners through the Houston Food Bank and four pantry partners through the Montgomery County Food Bank. SOURCES: U.S. CENSUS BUREAU AMERICAN COMMUNITY SURVEY 2020 5-YEAR ESTIMATES, HOUSTON FOOD BANK, MONTGOMERY COUNTY FOOD BANK/COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED STUDENTS Humble ISD New Caney ISD
Economically disadvantaged students make up a greater portion of students at Humble and New Caney ISDs today than they did in 2014-15.
SOURCE: TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY/ COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
2020 median annual income
Overall change: 6,879 more students or +8.34%
99 TOLL
77365
67.12%
70%
62.41%
$77,414
60%
77339
U.S. median annual income
$140,593
50%
77345
41.71%
77338
$75,388
$64,994
1960
33.37%
40%
$57,566
Overall change: 3,388 more students or +4.71%
77346
30%
$107,880
LAKE HOUSTON
0
77396
$70,111
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*ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED STUDENTS INCLUDE THOSE WHO ARE ELIGIBLE FOR FREE OR REDUCED-PRICE MEALS UNDER THE NATIONAL SCHOOL LUNCH AND CHILD NUTRITION PROGRAM, AMONG OTHER CRITERIA.
Houston Food Bank Montgomery County Food Bank Partner food pantries
77044
$63,826 Texas median annual income
$81,009
biggest hurdle is restoring the back- bone of their operations—their volun- teers. Greene said the Houston Food Bank had approximately 85,000 vol- unteers per year prepandemic and is now at about 50,000. “The whole volunteer pool just got decimated in the pandemic,” Greene said. “Bringing those volunteers back so we can say more yeses to the diffi- cult donations is a big way that we’re trying to adjust.” With 37 staff members, Garrison said HAAM relies heavily on its 34 covenant congregations to supply volunteers. However, churches have likewise been slow to recover mem- bership following the pandemic, which Garrison said means fewer vol- unteers to sort through donations and stock food pantry shelves. “We’re seeing a lot of the same types of things as elsewhere—just a short- age of labor—which means the people
such as peanut butter, frozen meat, and canned fruits and vegetables on the shelves. “A large portion of the food we dis- tribute is donated, but because of those increased food costs right now and supply chain issues and increased demand, the food bank has had to pur- chase more and more food to fill in the gaps,” Marlow said. And while HAAM has a resale store to supplement program funding, dona- tions are becoming fewer and further in between, meaning the nonprofit has less funding to fill in the gaps. “There’s never enough; the dona- tions are not coming in,” Garrison said. “For a while during COVID, everyone was cleaning out closets. … But now, everybody is holding onto their stuff.” Moving forward Despite these challenges, local food bank leaders agreed their
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Montgomery County Food Bank To find help: visit www.mcfoodbank. org/find-a-food-pantry-partner- agencies-conroe-tx To donate: call 936-271-8800 or visit www.mcfoodbank.org/ways-to-give- conroe-tx To volunteer: email arichardson@ mcfoodbank.org work is worthwhile. “Every person deserves to have nutritious food in their bellies, a roof over their head and clothes on their bodies,” Marlow said. “And so we’re really coming together to fill one of those basic needs.”
Houston Food Bank To find help: call 832-369-9390 or visit www.houstonfoodbank.org/ find-help To donate: visit www. houstonfoodbank.org/ways-to-give To volunteer: call 713-547-8604 or visit www.houstonfoodbank.org/ ways-to-give/give-time who are committed to working here, they’re working extra hours to get the job done,” Marlow said. This summer, Garrison said HAAM has partnered with Deerbrook Mall with plans of hosting a community- wide food fair on a monthly basis to help fill the meal gap while students are no longer in school. Regardless of the challenges the pan- demic has presented, Marlow said the
For more information, visit communityimpact.com .
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LAKE HOUSTON - HUMBLE - KINGWOOD EDITION • MAY 2022
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