Filling Pantries, Filling Lives: Food Banks and Food (In)Security in Houston
Open Access
Author:
Mastropieri, Antoinette Marie
Area of Honors:
Geography
Degree:
Bachelor of Arts
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Roger Michael Downs, Thesis Supervisor Roger Michael Downs, Thesis Honors Advisor Deryck William Holdsworth, Faculty Reader
Keywords:
Food security insecurity food bank Houston Texas
Abstract:
Food insecurity, or the limited capacity to access adequate daily sustenance, is a growing problem throughout the United States. The most populous city in Texas, Houston, with a population of over two million people, is also home to the largest food bank in the country, the Houston Food Bank. The goal of the Houston Food Bank is to fill pantries and fill lives, in order to combat the food insecurity that is experienced in Houston and in the food bank’s eighteen-county service area. With twelve expansive programs, 600 partner agencies, and support from corporations, foundations, and individual donors, the food bank is able to feed 865,000 people each year. The case study of Houston is used to examine the history and roles of food banks to fill gaps in inadequate government programs as well as to consider the increasing role of food insecurity in the city and throughout the country.
