HOUSTON, Texas — The largest food bank in the world is celebrating a huge milestone and it’s right here in your own backyard.
The Houston Food Bank has been helping families in need put food on the table for 40 years.
The food bank started its mission in 1982. Since then, it's been on the frontlines providing relief during major disasters and also to people who need help every single day.
The work inside the food bank never stops. Workers are constantly sorting through what comes through.
“Over the last 40 years Houston Food Bank, because of the generosity of our community, has been able to distribute 1.9 billion pounds of food,” said Houston Food Bank President Brian Greene.
Since it was founded, the organization has been able to help anyone who needs it.
Greene said the food bank has helped most recently through the COVID-19 shutdowns when thousands of people waited in long lines at mass food distribution sites across the city.
“Low-wage employment is our biggest issue,” Greene said. “It is the biggest reason why we see people coming for food assistance. As inflation starts to kick in and it’s going to get worse.”
He said they will face new challenges as the price of goods and oil skyrockets.
“The biggest obstacle actually is inflation because most people give about the same amount of money each year as they did the previous year so that’s what’s going to put strain on us versus being able to keep up is as need goes up the resources don’t necessarily go up with the need,” Greene said.
However, one thing the food bank can count on is people in the community to step up. Barbara Green has been volunteering for years.
“Even today I just love to come up and volunteer and I’ve been in the repack and every time I come up it’s just so much energy in this building," she said. "Whether you’re packing kids meals or senior boxes; it’s just incredible.”
Greene said in 2019 the food bank had 85,000 people come to volunteer.
He called these folks their life blood and the food bank would not be able to distribute the food without them.