How does Houston Food Bank create a world that doesn’t need food banks?

Hello! Our names are Katherine Byers and Carolina Cano, and we are Houston Food Bank’s Government Relations team!

Houston Food Bank does a variety of things that you may be aware of already: from distributing food throughout an 18-county region to providing social services to those in need, but we are also driven to address the root causes of hunger and poverty because it isn’t enough to say “Here’s some food, see you next time”.

Two masked women stand in large parking lot at a drive through food distribution discussing the issues of hunger and the importance of food banks.

Government Relations Officer Katherine Byers speaks with State Representative Ann Johnson at a large food distribution after Winter Storm Uri.

Houston Food Bank wants all people and communities to thrive on their own, successfully. We believe one of the ways to achieve our vision of “a world that doesn’t need food banks” is through public policy change. Public policies are proposals aimed at solving problems that occur across multiple areas, people, situations, and places.

So… why do we NEED you to do this work?

Each of you is represented by elected officials who make public policy at the federal, state, and local levels. Believe it or not, they listen to what you have to say. So, here’s the deal – you read our monthly blogs to stay up to date on all things advocacy and follow our social media pages where we send “call-outs” to contact your elected official on a certain topic or legislation.

Follow us here: In turn, we’ll keep you in the know and make sure you’re aware of what impact your advocacy has on achieving a world that doesn’t need food banks.

Now you know why the Houston Food Bank advocates…don’t you want to be a part of the change too?