Ahead of the holidays, Commissioner Rodney Ellis partnered with India House and the Houston Food Bank to expand access to fresh, healthy groceries for families across Harris County. At a free grocery distribution at India House in southwest Houston, volunteers provided fruits, vegetables, meat, dairy, and pantry staples—part of a bi-monthly effort that helps feed more than 500 families each month. As Ellis put it, “We’re strengthening our community by making sure families have access to the fresh, healthy food they deserve.” Backed by community supporters and volunteers, the effort reflects a broader commitment to ensuring that “no one in our community should go hungry.”
What Commissioner Ellis Says: “No one should go hungry in one of the wealthiest countries in the world, or in a county as prosperous as Harris County. Yet too many of our neighbors struggle to put food on the table. Over a third of Houston and Harris County Households are food insecure. That’s why we’re strengthening our community by making sure families have access to the fresh, healthy food they deserve.”
There’s a hunger crisis across Harris County. Indeed, a report published earlier this year from Rice University Kinder Institute for Urban Research found that “thirty-nine percent of Houston and Harris County households are food insecure, significantly exceeding the national average of 14%.” That’s why Commissioner Ellis continues to fight food insecurity—just in November, Commissioner Ellis:
- Partnered with the Houston Food Bank to host Neighborhood Supersite Food Distributions throughout November, providing thousands of families with fresh food, staples, and essential items. These events help stabilize households facing sudden gaps in income and nutrition assistance.
- Led an effort that redirected more than $1.2 million to food and nutrition support to ensure families didn’t go hungry during SNAP delays. This action arrived as Colleen DeGuzman and Jess Huff reported for The Texas Tribune that “3.5 million Texans — including 1.7 million children — [are] on the Supplemental Nutrition and Assistance Program, also known as SNAP …In SNAP’s 60-year history, recipients — 40 million of them today — had never gone without a monthly payment.”
- Partnering with Brighter Bites to host food distribution programs at local community centers that will bring free weekly distributions of up to “twenty pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables” per family—along with nutrition education—to community centers, expanding access to healthy food for children and families.