In a nation as wealthy as ours, no one should go hungry. Yet more than 48 million Americans, including 4.5 million Texans, are at risk of hunger every day, largely because a lack of collaboration, inefficient programs, and ineffective policies prevent existing resources from getting to the people who need them most. The Texas Hunger Initiative (THI) at Baylor is coordinating efforts in Texas on all levels—local, state, and federal—to find comprehensive, sustainable solutions to food insecurity. THI brings together local individuals, organizations, businesses, and congregations, state agencies, officials, and corporations, and federal policies, programs, and legislators to work in sync, efficiently and effectively.

As part of THI’s efforts on the federal level, various THI staff members have testified before House of Representatives committees and presented at forums at the White House. Most recently, THI director Jeremy Everett and THI salesforce administrator Dustin Kunz testified before the House Committee on Agriculture, which completed a comprehensive review of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) with the goal of providing a better understanding of SNAP and examining ways the program could be improved. The House Committee on Agriculture quoted both Everett and Kunz in its report on SNAP. Kunz testified, “Complex problems require complex, creative, and collaborative solutions. Public challenges, such as food insecurity, require a response that exceeds the capabilities and resources of any one department, organization, or jurisdiction. Collaboration provides a way to stretch those resources and accomplish more with less, and the benefits of these partnerships include cost savings and enhanced quality and quantity of services, while also addressing community needs, enhancing trust, and increasing citizen support.”

Since 2009, the THI model of coordination and collaboration has resulted in 10 million meals served in after school programs, 21 million meals served each summer, and 300,000 students who now eat school breakfast every day.