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Senator Cornyn visits the Houston Food Bank – Monday, June 9th

Discuss efforts to help local organization deliver compassionate care
in the face of record high energy prices and rising food costs

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, visited the Houston Food Bank (HFB) and discussed efforts to help local organizations cope with record energy, rising food prices and care for those in need.

Cornyn met with HFB’s Board of Directors and representatives from HFB partner agencies to discuss the growing burden that rising prices are posing to non-profits like HFB in serving those in need in Houston and surrounding communities.   

Sen. Cornyn discussed his recent efforts to help HFB and other Texas non-profits and families cope with these issues.

Background
The Houston Food Bank (HFB) is the largest source of food for charities that serve hungry individuals, annually distributing more than 35 million pounds of food through soup kitchens, church food pantries, shelters, and meal sites for children and the elderly.  With food received from HFB, these agencies are able to feed more than 80,000 people each week.

In the Greater Houston area, 891,000 people live in poverty.  On a daily basis, 35,000 people are hungry and can’t afford to buy food.  Due to space limitations, the Houston Food Bank distributes less food per poor person than the national food bank average.  Currently, the Houston Food Bank distributes an average of 42 pounds of food to each person living in poverty through 18 counties in southeast Texas; however, this is 30% below the national average food distribution. 

Corporations and foundations are stepping forward to help by contributing to a capital campaign that will raise money so that the Food Bank can purchase the SYSCO distribution facility, which will quadruple HFB’s warehouse space. Sen. Cornyn is leading the effort to secure federal funding for the campaign. 

Sen. Cornyn recently supported the 2008 Farm Bill, which doubled funding for The Emergency Food Assistance Program—the primary means by which food banks receive federal assistance.  The Farm Bill also increases the minimum benefit for Food Stamps and for the first time, indexes Food Stamp benefits to inflation over time.

Sen. Cornyn has also been working to pass legislation in the Senate to significantly increase domestic energy production that would bring down gas prices for all Texas businesses and families. Unfortunately, partisanship has gotten in the way of meaningful solutions to the current energy crisis, but Sen. Cornyn remains committed to working toward increased refinery capacity in the U.S. and more domestic energy production to bring down fuel prices and make America more energy-independent.

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