An Exciting Week for THI: Legislation Moves Forward, Kids’ Voices are Heard

It has been an exciting week for the Texas Hunger Initiative. Last Thursday, Senate Bill 376, the “Breakfast Bill,” passed the Texas House of Representatives and now moves forward to the governor’s office. And yesterday, House Bill 749 passed through the Senate Committee on Government Organization with a unanimous vote. In this bill, it is […]

All eyes on Texas

Recently a dream was realized for Texas Hunger Initiative’s founder and director, Jeremy Everett, as new employees came together at the central Office in Waco for an orientation to prepare them to tackle hunger at the local level. What was once a one-man organization has grown to close to 100 employees positioned across the state. […]

Another Reason To Hate Monday

We’ve all had awful cafeteria experiences during our childhood. Irving ISD located outside of Dallas, Texas, is changing this less-than-stellar reputation by revamping how they serve food to their students. More importantly, they address the growing issue of children coming to school hungry and recognize that a hungry child cannot learn. March 4-8 was National […]

School Meals Get a Makeover

The school year has officially begun, and many students will be surprised when they go through the lunch line. For the first time in 15 years, the United States Department of Agriculture is implementing an overhaul to school lunch guidelines. New nutrition standards set calorie limits based on grade level, reduce sodium levels, ban trans […]

“Injustice Anywhere Is a Threat to Justice Everywhere”

When presidential hopeful Mitt Romney announced two weeks ago that Rep. Paul Ryan would be his running mate, Ryan said, “We look at one another’s success with pride, not resentment, because we know that as more Americans work hard, take risks, succeed, more people will prosper, more communities will benefit and individual lives will be improved… […]

Perceptions of Poverty

My family and I lived in San Antonio’s West Side for about five years before returning to Waco nearly four years ago so I could work for Baylor University. While we lived in San Antonio, the West Side community had approximately 150,000 documented residents and a median income of $19,000 per household. Families often had […]

Hunger and the Hierarchy of Needs

Written by Berkeley Anderson, Texas Hunger Initiative Intern Humanist psychologist Abraham Maslow theorized that all humans had certain needs—both physical and emotional—that must be met in order to achieve self-actualization, a state in which an individual can act at his or her full potential. His theory, known as “Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs,” suggests that humans […]

Hunger Doesn’t Take a Summer Vacation

Summer is upon us and for many this means carefree days of fun in the sun. However, for the more than two million Texas children who rely on school meals as their primary source of nutrition, summer means they lose access to these programs and the guarantee of food that will allow them to lead […]

Developing a System of Accountability

So who is responsible for poverty and hunger? This question seems to be polarizing Washington D.C. and causing significant discord throughout the U.S. Most responses seem to be ideologically driven rather than informed by facts or personal experiences. So whose problem is it? Democrats have long argued that the problem is systemic and thus requires […]

SETTING THE TABLE FOR SYSTEMIC CHANGE

The Texas Hunger Initiative's Blog

Author: kasey_ashenfelter