Capital Area Food Bank of Texas, Inc.

Capital Area Food Bank of Texas, Inc.

Written by Katie Gutierrez Friday, 13 June 2008

Prices at the grocery store are on an upward trend. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, corn prices rose by 54 percent between 2004 and 2006, soybean oil by 72 percent and white bread by 9.6 percent.

For the Capital Area Food Bank of Central Texas, Inc, that reality brings challenges on two levels. More people need food and it costs CAFB more to feed them.

“In 2004, we spent $250,000 on purchased food,” said Kerri Qunell, vice president of communications at CAFB. “In 2007, that amount increased to $1.5 million. It’s a natural phenomenon that the more expensive [food] is for the Food Bank, the more expensive it is for our clients.”

The food bank was founded in 1981 by a small group of representatives from several community organizations, including the United Urban Council, predecessor of today’s Austin Area Interreligious Ministries. Its mission is to help working-poor families and it operates mostly on donations.

“We do receive some federal funding,” Qunell said, “but the vast majority [of our funding] is donor-based. We rely on the individuals and corporations who write us checks each year.”

In CAFB’s first year of operation, less than 330,000 pounds of food were recovered, stored and distributed. Since then, however, Austinites have embraced CAFB’s mission of ending hunger in Central Texas.

Between 1985 and 2007, CAFB grew from a budget of $187,000 to nearly $6 million; the staff from four to 60; and the facility from a 12,000 sq. ft. metal building to a 61,000 sq. ft. distribution center on South Congress Avenue, including a warehouse that holds up to 2 million pounds of food—though Qunell added that it is never filled to capacity.

“The warehouse usually holds between 1 million and 1.2 million pounds of food,” she said, as she walked down long aisles stacked high with pallets of canned food. Pausing, she pointed at the “Dessert/Snacks” category, loaded with everything from crackers to Easter candy. “I wish we had less of this,” she said, “and more of that.” She nodded toward “Canned Fruits and Vegetables,” which took up less than a quarter of the “Dessert/Snacks” pile.

Despite higher food prices and fewer donations, CAFB distributed more than 15 million pounds of food in 2007 through its 370 partner agencies (such as soup kitchens and food pantries) in Central Texas.

That is equivalent to feeding 40,000 people per week.

In addition, CAFB conducts eight programs, all free, aimed at feeding, educating and otherwise assisting hungry Central Texans.

“We have an incredible staff of 53 and a volunteer base of 11,000 per year,” Qunell said in explanation of CAFB’s impact. “I wouldn’t be anywhere else.”

Spotlight on CAFB programs

BackPack Program: Launched in 2007, this program aims to feed children outside of school hours, such as during weekends and school vacations. Backpacks are filled with enough food for six nutritious meals and two snacks. Parents can enroll their kids through area elementary schools.

CHOICES: A four-week series with one class per week, CHOICES is partially funded by the USDA’s Food Stamp Program, and offers courses in basic nutrition, cooking healthy, children’s nutrition, and preventing weight-related diseases like diabetes. Volunteer assistants and instructors are needed.

HOPE: The Healthy Options Program for the Elderly provides needy senior citizens with supplemental food assistance, consisting of a 15- to 18-pound bag of groceries per month. Contact CAFB for more information.

Capital Area Food Bankof Texas, Inc., 8201 South Congress Ave., 282-2111