Feeding the hungry is the main focus of our organization. It is a service that we take to heart and feel that hunger is an evil that no human being should have to endure.
“Food insecurity” is a term that is determined by many factors, but particularly it is “the measure of the availability of food and individuals' ability to access it”. According to a 2019 report by the City of Houston, “Nearly 1 in 4 children (under 18 years of age) in Houston/Harris County are food insecure.”
Overall, about 1 million people within The Houston Food Bank’s service area are food insecure. One important point to note is that statistics have shown that about 75% of those assisted by food banks are not homeless. That portion of society is usually comprised of those who can barely pay for the essentials such as rent and utilities but fall short of providing food for their families.
According to the US Department of Education, Title I schools are defined as “…schools with high numbers or high percentages of children from low-income families to help ensure that all children meet challenging state academic standards.”
Schools that qualify as Title I are schools whereby 40% of its population are considered low-income. Those schools then qualify for reduced prices for students’ lunches. Although the lunch prices are reduced, this still doesn’t mean that all families are able to afford the cost. For those who are not able to pay the full amount, the schools ensure that those students will not go hungry. However, instead of those students receiving the regular lunches that the other students receive, they receive a “light” lunch, which might be a sandwich. Once the unpaid balances are paid, those students then return to receiving regular lunches like the other students.
One of the ways OCC intends to serve the community is by providing stipends for those families who are unable to pay the balances of their child’s (children’s) reduced lunch bill. This will support the student’s nutritional needs, which will better equip them to perform better in school.
