| |
| |
|
|
R E S O L U T I O N
|
|
|
WHEREAS, Proud members of Feeding Texas are gathering in |
|
|
Austin to celebrate Texas Food Bank Day at the State Capitol on |
|
|
February 19, 2019; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Established in 1986, the Feeding Texas network |
|
|
consists of 21 food banks that work through more than 3,000 |
|
|
community agencies to reduce hunger and improve health in all 254 |
|
|
Texas counties; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, To further these goals, the network has fostered |
|
|
many public-private partnerships, including the Texans Feeding |
|
|
Texans Surplus Agricultural Products Grant Program, which helps |
|
|
feed low-income families by offering incentives to growers to |
|
|
donate fresh produce that would otherwise be left in the field; this |
|
|
initiative offsets the costs of harvesting, packaging, and |
|
|
transportation and has resulted in the distribution of over 200 |
|
|
million pounds of surplus produce across the state; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Members of Feeding Texas have also established the |
|
|
"Feeding with Impact" partnership with the Texas Health and Human |
|
|
Services Commission, which seeks to improve the diets of low-income |
|
|
Texans by distributing fresh produce and offering nutrition |
|
|
education and obesity prevention services; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, By leveraging their expertise and experience, |
|
|
members of Feeding Texas respond to families in crisis swiftly and |
|
|
effectively when disaster strikes; Texas food banks delivered 61 |
|
|
million pounds of food to victims of Hurricane Harvey, served |
|
|
73,000 meals, distributed 584,000 food boxes, and mobilized 26,000 |
|
|
volunteers for 1 million volunteer hours; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Network members have partnered with the Texas Health |
|
|
and Human Services Commission to provide client education and |
|
|
application assistance for the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance |
|
|
Program, greatly increasing the efficiency of the |
|
|
eligibility-determination process; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, By facilitating the distribution of surplus food, |
|
|
responding to disaster, raising awareness about good dietary |
|
|
practices, and helping to prevent obesity, Feeding Texas is |
|
|
reducing hunger and contributing greatly to the health and |
|
|
well-being of the people of Texas; now, therefore, be it |
|
|
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 86th Texas |
|
|
Legislature hereby recognize February 19, 2019, as Texas Food Bank |
|
|
Day at the State Capitol and extend to the staff and volunteers of |
|
|
Feeding Texas sincere best wishes for continued success in their |
|
|
important work; and, be it further |
|
|
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
|
|
prepared for Feeding Texas as an expression of high regard by the |
|
|
Texas House of Representatives. |