85R9378 JGH-D
By: Darby H.R. No. 330
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Proud members of Feeding Texas are gathering in
Austin to celebrate Texas Food Bank Day at the State Capitol on
February 9, 2017; and
WHEREAS, Established in 1986, the Feeding Texas network
consists of 21 food banks that work through more than 3,000
community agencies to reduce hunger and improve health in all 254
Texas counties; and
WHEREAS, To further these goals, the network has fostered
many public-private partnerships, including the Texans Feeding
Texans Surplus Agricultural Products Grant Program, which helps
feed low-income families by offering incentives to growers to
donate fresh produce that would otherwise be left in the field; this
initiative offsets the costs of harvesting, packaging, and
transportation and has resulted in the distribution of over 150
million pounds of surplus produce across the state; and
WHEREAS, Members of Feeding Texas have also established the
"Feeding with Impact" partnership with the Texas Health and Human
Services Commission, which seeks to improve the diets of low-income
Texans by distributing fresh produce and offering nutrition
education and obesity prevention services; and
WHEREAS, Network members have partnered with the Texas Health
and Human Services Commission to provide client education and
application assistance for the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance
Program, greatly increasing the efficiency of the
eligibility-determination process; Feeding Texas has also created
the Second Chance program, which allows prison inmates to gain
valuable work experience and certifications through volunteering
at food banks; and
WHEREAS, By facilitating the distribution of surplus food,
raising awareness about good dietary practices, and helping to
prevent obesity, Feeding Texas is reducing hunger and contributing
greatly to the health and well-being of the people of Texas; now,
therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas
Legislature hereby recognize February 9, 2017, as Texas Food Bank
Day at the State Capitol and extend to the staff and volunteers of
Feeding Texas sincere best wishes for continued success in their
important work; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for Feeding Texas as an expression of high regard by the
Texas House of Representatives.