By All Accounts, Poverty is a Real and Pervasive Problem in Galveston...One Major Consequence of Rampant Poverty is Hunger
According to currently available statistics, more than 750,000 Gulf Coast residents live in poverty. The Center for Public Policy Priorities 1999 report ranked Texas third in the nation in 'food insecurity' with 37,870 people below poverty in Galveston County alone (16.3% of the population). The City of Galveston, according to the Texas State Data Center, counted 12,284 persons below poverty (22.3% of the population) in 1999. These statistics don't even hint at those at or near poverty level, only those who fall below it. And, of course, the undocumented, transient and homeless populations are not even part of these surveys.
By all accounts, poverty is a major problem in Galveston!
And one of the major subcategories of rampant poverty is hunger.
The faith-based and social service organizations working in Galveston try hard to supply those at, near, and below poverty levels, with food assistance as often and as well as they are able. Many of them are listed Food Pantry's with the Houston Food Bank, a major supplier of low cost staples to all of the areas south of Houston. But lack of funds and lack of food supplies regularly curtail the efforts of all of these service organizations. Sometimes the Food Bank runs out of necessary items and these organizations try to make up the difference by buying food retail from local stores, which they can ill afford. Sometimes they just have to limit their food packages or close down for a period of time until more food becomes available. Even at 18 cents on the pound, food from the Houston Food Bank is too expensive for some organizations to purchase.
 That's where Gleanings from the Harvest comes in. We apply to corporations that manufacture and distribute food in the state and region for donations of staples. Donations are warehoused and then redistributed to the organizations that provide food for the poor. In this way, the organizations already serving the poor can supplement - at no additional cost - their food supplies, allowing them to significantly enlarge their service and/or client base. The end result is that more people at, near or under the poverty level will receive more food assistance more often.
| FOOD BANK
MYTH vs.FACTS
MYTH: People who come to a food pantry are uneducated
FACT: 63% of emergency food recipients have high school diplomas or above
MYTH: People on food stamps can buy anything
FACT: The Lone Star card is highly restricted to nutritious food only. No snacks, no alcohol, no tobacco, not even diapers or cleaning supplies.
MYTH: Millions of jobs are available to those who want to work
FACT: Over two million jobs have been eliminated, or outsourced overseas. Many skilled people have taken lower paid jobs, and are forced to ask for help in feeding their family.
MYTH: Any one who gets Food Stamps shouldn’t need any more help
FACT: The Lone Star card (Food Stamps) is only good for a less than adequate amount of food. 85% of recipients report that they run out before month end, and families go hungry.
MYTH: Free breakfast at school is for very few kids.
FACT: 63% of Galveston ISD students qualify for free or reduced price breakfast and lunch.
MYTH: People who earn minimum wage can feed themselves.
FACT: Full time minimum wage 40 hours a week equals $892.67 a month, before any withholding.
MYTH: People who come to a food pantry are unemployed
FACT: 40% of emergency food recipients have at least one full time wage earner in the household |
