by Jen Stephenson As a former collegiate runner, I live by the equation Stress + Rest = Growth. Hunger and poverty work can feel insurmountable at times because causes are multifaceted and interwoven together. My first few months, I overworked myself and became overwhelmed by how complicated it is to solve hunger. And I […]
Read more "Americorps VISTA Spotlight: Jen Stephenson"What has been the most rewarding aspect of your work with coalitions this year? Last month I had the pleasure of working with a few other VISTA members to compile stories from various coalition leaders across the state to ultimately create a cohesive video narrative of the work of our coalitions. Having the opportunity to […]
Read more "Americorps VISTA Spotlight: Bethany Dieringer"by Nat Mudd My VISTA service consists of two projects. The first is using BCHP’s Hunger Free Community Coalition Toolkit as a model to organize the work to address student food insecurity at Baylor University. Second, I am helping build a coalition from the ground up in Bell County, also using the steps outlined […]
Read more "Americorps VISTA Spotlight: Nat Mudd"by Christine Perera As a student intern for the Baylor Collaborative on Hunger and Poverty, I have spent much of the fall semester discovering ways in which hunger affects my community. I work part-time as a resident assistant at a nursing home in my hometown, Boerne. While forming deep friendships with residents, I have learned […]
Read more "Senior Hunger: Texans Feeding Texans"by Jen Stephenson and Mary Herbert 2020 has been filled with choppy notes of uncertainty and need for flexibility for the work of the San Angelo office of the Texas Hunger Initiative. However, the resilience of the San Angelo community presented a euphonious glimmer of hope through the Kids Eat Free (KEF) program. KEF […]
Read more "A Summer to Remember: Reflections on San Angelo’s “Kids Eat Free” Program"by Dr. Elaine Hernandez The McAllen regional office has been actively engaged with our local communities addressing access to nutritious meals during the COVID-19 pandemic. Unemployment in south Texas soared as high as 24%. The slowing of local economies resulted in long lines at food banks and food pantries, as well as other emergency food […]
Read more "Dispatches from our Rio Grande Valley Office"by John Puder, Regional Manager for Child Hunger Outreach, Houston Regional Office __ The COVID-19 pandemic has become an unending nightmare for so many of us. From the inconvenience of wearing a mask to the terrifying fear that a deadly virus is at our doorstep, 2020 has been a year of hiding at home for […]
Read more "It’s What They Do: School Nutrition Staff in the Age of COVID"by Ashley Yeaman After I graduated from Baylor University, I spent a year serving as an AmeriCorps VISTA with the Texas Hunger Initiative in Waco, Texas. The experience was challenging and transformative, and it set me on a different career path from what I had originally planned after graduation. Here are just a few of […]
Read more "Three things I learned as an AmeriCorps VISTA"This summer, the Texas Hunger Initiative – Waco Regional Office has two Baylor students serving as No Kid Hungry Youth Ambassadors. Keyanna Taylor and Steven Kuipers are providing support for and increasing participation in the Summer Food Service Program in Waco. They have really hit the ground running and are providing tons of creative energy […]
Read more "Spending a Summer with THI"School’s out for summer, and that means the that Summer Meals programs are kicking off around the state! Craig Nash, child hunger specialist at THI, wrote about the value of this program for both kids and communities in our latest blog post. Last summer, I spoke with two families at a Bellmead’s Brame Park, a […]
Read more "Make Meaningful Connections with Your Neighbors this Summer"