Running on empty: Food banks seeing 50-percent uptick in hunger
Since Nov. 1, the hungry have been visiting South Texas area food banks at an increasing rate, according to Libby Saenz, CEO of the Food Bank RGV.
“Where we used to serve approximately 200 families per day, Saenz said, “we’re now seeing that number arrive before the noon hour.”
SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) quit sending out checks the first of this month, and since then, although the number of families visiting area food banks isn’t quite what it was during the COVID pandemic, Saenz said, “We’re getting there.”
For those who may not know, SNAP is a carry-over from the old Food Stamp plan. Yet they serve the same purpose — to feed the hungry.
When the federal government shut down Oct. 1, there was one more month left to pay SNAP, which ended Nov. 1.
A Three-County Spread
The Food Bank of the RGV serves three counties — Hidalgo, Cameron and Starr.
“The Valley has always been good when times get hard,” Saenz said. “Thanks to the generosity of so many, the local food drives, it’s largely thanks to our local people, businesses, that we’ve been able to keep food on the shelves.”
Since the start of 2025, money for food banks has been cut significantly (by the federal government) through the termination of programs like the Local Food Purchase Assistance (LFPA) Cooperative Agreement, which funded food banks to buy local food, from local groceries.
The Trump administration ended the LFPA program, which provided about $420 million for food banks and $660 million for schools, to reduce government spending, it claimed (Source: CBS News).
Saenz said the Food Bank of the RGV had ordered 24 loads (semi-truck trailers) through one of the federal programs, but they never arrived.
“They should have sustained us through the summer and on into the fall. Each truckload gives us about 21 pallets of product, and these are typically our staples — beans, rice, cereal, some chicken, some milk and eggs.”
Summer arrives, schools close down, and when kids are out of school, Saenz said she and her staff, volunteers, make sure there is cereal on hand.
“I make sure there are eggs. I make sure there’s milk, because those are the items that we need for the families. And none of those loads came in (this past summer).”
Saenz said the timing was also bad.
“We found out in May, at the last minute, that the 24 loads weren’t coming. So, June, July, August, September, I mean, we were all struggling.”
Thankfully, she said, businesses stepped up to help provide.
“Thank goodness that God still provides, because we had a lot of produce, you know, retail, which is like H-E-B, Walmart, Sam’s, Costco.”
In the month of October, those 24 loads ordered in May slowly started arriving.
“But they didn’t sit here very long,” Saenz said.
Good Times and Bad
Libby Ann Saenz said she’s seen a lot during her 24 years with the Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley. For an area with one of the highest rates of poverty compared to the entire U.S., 25 percent vs. 12.5 percent, the RGV food demand almost always outstrips the supply.
Out of the total approximate population of the three counties — Hidalgo, Cameron, and Willacy — according to the Texas Department of Health and Human Services — approximately 23 percent of the 1.35 million receive SNAP benefits.
Hidalgo County ranks first with the most SNAP recipients with approximately 200,000 people on the plan; Cameron County, 100,000; and Willacy, approximately 4,500 recipients (Sources: Texas HHS and USDA).
All told, just north of 300,000 people, both young and old.
Across the U.S., the total monthly cost to fund SNAP is worth approximately $9.5 billion. (Source: Forbes). That ended Nov. 1.
The old “Food Stamp Program” name changed to SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) in 2008, in part because the paper coupons (food stamps) formerly mailed to recipients had changed to an electronic transfer system, and in part, too, because the old name had become stigmatized to some extent.
Multiple studies, for example, show that not everyone on government welfare live that way by choice, and yes, some people scam the system, but they don’t represent the vast majority of those truly in need (Source: Cato Institute).
But if one throws a deadbeat spouse into the mix (mom or dad) who has suddenly split the family home, taking half the family income with him/her, or if there is a job layoff, sudden work termination, SNAP remains the one reliable benefit available to feed hungry mouths.
Now that that food benefit is on ice, no money, thanks to the shutdown of the federal government, Saenz said the people of the RGV are really stepping up to help out, but she admits, in her 24 years with the food bank, she’s never seen the shelves so empty.
“Last Thursday, I ordered 13 loads (truck semis), but they normally take seven to 14 days to get here, so we’re getting by as best we can, and we’ve had to limit the amount of product that each one can take, so I can make sure that everyone gets a piece of it. I’ve never had to do that before.”
For the hungry, Saenz says it’s best to call (956) 682-8101 and then choose option 2.
“Rather than just publish a list of the food banks and our partner outlets, it’s better if they call us, and we can tell them the best place for their family to go,” Saenz said. “That also applies to people, businesses, who may want to help us out during this (difficult) time.”