Car-free Food Access – is it Possible?
Por el Banco de Alimentos de Houston
Octubre 12, 2026
Did you know that 1 in 3 people cannot or do not drive? Whether due to a disability, lack of income, age, or other factors, about 36% of Americans cannot reliably use a personal automobile.
Week Without Driving is a national campaign that highlights the experiences of people who cannot or do not drive. Imagine a parent who needs to pick up groceries for their family after work but doesn’t have a car. Or think about a senior who relies on food pantries for their groceries, but the only way to get there is by bus. For people in these situations, getting food isn’t just about whether a grocery store or pantry exists, but whether or not they can get there.
Across Harris County, 7% of entire households have no vehicle at all, and another 15% share a single vehicle among multiple people. In some Houston zip codes, those numbers climb even higher – in 77020, covering much of Fifth Ward, 15% of households have no vehicle and 21% share a single vehicle among multiple people.
Even families with cars face challenges. When we consider both low-income and ALICE (asset limited, income constrained, employed) households, nearly half (47%) of Harris County households face tough choices every week with limited dollars. Among families that drive, unplanned expenses like car repairs or rising gas prices gobble up dollars that might be better spent on food.
As a friend of the Houston Food Bank, you undoubtedly understand that access to healthy food is a lifeline. For the hundreds of thousands of Houstonians without reliable access to a car, public transit is an essential way to access opportunity, but not everyone has equal access.
Locating food resources like grocery stores and food pantries closer to frequent transit can build a lot more flexibility into people’s lives. Ensuring families have reliable methods to get to work and school spurs economic mobility. And, building safer sidewalks and crosswalks can also make it easier for people to walk to and from their stops.
At LINK Houston we advocate for a robust and equitable transportation network so that all people can reach opportunity. So what does that mean? We learn from daily bus and rail riders, copower with communities around Houston to lift up transportation concerns, research, and create recommendations for decision makers.
Houston Food Bank recognizes the significant impact transportation has on economic mobility, providing accessibility to good jobs, adequate healthcare, and safe and affordable living conditions. That is why we partner with LINK Houston to better understand transportation challenges and to advocate for community driven solutions.
We hope the message of Week Without Driving resonates with you all year round. We challenge daily drivers to pick one trip over the next few days and try to do it by walking and rolling, biking, or public transit. Pay attention to what is hard or surprising? Is this something you see yourself doing more frequently? Let us know! Tag @Link_Houston on socials with your nondriving stories and join us in our mission for a more equitable Houston.
