Hays County Commissioners Court reviews food insecurity report

The needs assessment also found that certain communities are disproportionately affected by food insecurity, including:

• Older adults
• Families with children
• Black and Hispanic residents
• Migrant and unhoused populations
• Formerly incarcerated individuals
• College students
• Residents with chronic health conditions or disabilities
• East Hays County

“The east side of the county specifically is a food desert,” Precinct 2 Commissioner Michelle Cohen said. “I’ve always told people, ‘If you want to know what’s going on in your community, go to a food distribution [center], see the number of people there in line, have those conversations with them.'”

Also of note

Food environment challenges identified in the assessment include the high cost of nutritious food, limited access to grocery stores, and transportation barriers.

The presentation highlighted that rising food prices have made healthy options “out of reach” for many residents, with some struggling to find food that meets their health conditions or cultural needs.

Survey results reflected this issue, as three-quarters of respondents reported that in the past year, it was “somewhat-to-very-difficult” to regularly access and eat healthy food.

Retail access challenges include a lack of full-service supermarkets, with the average household of three sharing one vehicle and traveling 8 miles to the nearest grocery store.

Transportation issues also play a significant role, as more than 1 in 4 residents struggle to access food easily. Most transportation budgets are allocated to commuting for work, highlighting the need for improved intra-city public transportation solutions.

What are the options?

The presentation highlighted a network of helpful organizations already in Hays County, including:

However, the presentation states that “charitable food alone cannot resolve systemic food access challenges.”

The presentation suggested that the county invest in key infrastructure, including public transit and grocery retail, advance county-level coordination, protect and support local agriculture, explore zoning policies that incentivize equitable food access, and activate “Food Is Medicine” initiatives.

The background

Established in 1981, the Central Texas Food Bank serves 21 counties and is the largest hunger relief organization in Central Texas. It is also the region’s only Feeding Texas and Feeding America member food bank, serving approximately 93,000 people each week, according to a Commissioners Court presentation.

Community needs assessments help identify gaps and opportunities to guide policy and advocacy, resource investment, strategic partnerships, and both upstream and downstream initiatives. Hays County was the first county where CTFB conducted a needs assessment.