Hunger in Houston: Take action

MYFOXHOUSTON - Do you know what it’s like to truly be hungry?  Unfortunately, thousands of Houston families do.  September is “Hunger Action Month.” 

A staggering 66,000 people go hungry every day in the greater Houston area, according to the Houston Food Bank.  5,000 of them are children. 

“It really impacts them a lot because even with their studying they can't study good," said Evelyn Wright.                

You'll find many of Houston's hungry, including grandmother of two, Melody Reid, seeking help Thursday at the Houston Food Bank's emergency pantry.

“I’m barely making it.  It's a life saver,” said Reid. “Sometimes you run out (of food) because you have to pay your bills and household expenses and other things."

One in four kids in our area are food insecure, or at risk of being hungry. 

“Food insecurity is not just a question of whether a family goes hungry, but also the nutritional compromises they have to make in order to get by,” said Brian Greene, president of the Houston Food Bank.  “There's still thousands and thousands of children each day that go hungry and then their families on top of it so no we're not meeting the need," he said.

Now that summer is over, the Bank's biggest need is getting more volunteers to help meet that overwhelming need. 

“It's very important to volunteer,” said Becky Pellegrini who volunteers 6 days a week.  “It's just amazing so many people don't have food to put on the table," she said.

Perhaps just as amazing is how many people who do  now have food because they came here. “I am so grateful for the place,” said Wright.

Learn more:  www.houstonfoodbank.org