El Pasoans Fighting Hunger Food Bank
- ARE YOU STRUGGLING TO PUT FOOD ON YOUR TABLE?WE CAN HELP! ARE YOU STRUGGLING TO PUT FOOD ON YOUR TABLE?WE CAN HELP! Find a pantry or distribution in your neighborhood.Click below for a list of Partner Agencies.
- Are you unable to pick up food? Home Delivery EL PASOANS FIGHTING HUNGER FOOD BANK CONTINUES OPERATION TO ENSURE VULNERABLE CITIZENS GET THE FOOD AND ASSISTANCE THEY NEED!
Proxy Report And Letter
On Sept. 2, a proxy analysis was submitted to HUD. Inside the report was information detailing the city’s unemployment rate, community demographics and locations where assistance from the food bank can be received. The report had to show the food bank used more than half of its grants to serve low to moderate income residents and families.
On Oct. 12, the city received a notification from the federal agency that the report did not meet federal requirements.
Upon further consultation with HUD’s Office of Block Grant Assistance, according to a letter sent to city officials, the department said the proxy report is “sufficient for HUD’s purposes.” The department said their initial guidance for the city was inconsistent with recent guidance that they were providing nationally.
“And so the federal guidelines talked about serving to unduplicated clients throughout the community and to a certain number of them, but at the end of the day, what’s really important here those demographics, and where the food bank was providing services throughout the community,” Westin said.
More:City of El Paso, El Pasoans Fighting Hunger food bank quiet on negotiations
During an Oct. 21 news conference, Nicole Ferrini, chief resilience officer and director of Community and Human Development for the city of El Paso, said the food bank hadn’t shown adequate documentation to meet federal standards required for receiving CARES Act funding.
Ferrini said there was no requirement to digitize anything.
Mobile Client Choice Pantries
EPFH uses its refrigerated trucks in collaboration with partner agencies to distribute nutritious food to a minimum of 100 families per site who live in under served or unserved neighborhoods.
Unlike most hunger relief programs where individuals are handed a pre-packed box of food, client choice allows individuals the opportunity to shop for food to be used in their homes.
Recommended Reading: Food Bank List Of Items
El Paso Texas The Food Bank Is Experiencing An Extreme Shortage In Volunteers And Is Asking For El Pasos Help
El Pasoans fighting hunger food bank usually has around 80 volunteers throughout the week but is only working with ten right now.
According to Sofia Valenzuela, the volunteer coordinator at the El Pasoans fighting hunger food bank, they usually get high school to college aged kids volunteer but with school back in session they are seeing less.
Right now I have only two for the afternoon and tomorrow I have around 50 volunteers registered for the Morning, and two for the afternoon, said Valenzuela.
Not having enough volunteers is slowing down production and creating longer wait times for El Pasoans who are waiting in line to pick up food.
The food bank is hoping to get more volunteers soon once the heat subsides.
They are asking El Pasoans to help them out, even if you can only help for an hour, but you must be at least 16-years-old.
For every hour they donate they help us reach at least 50 families.
Sofia Valenzuela, Volunteer coordinator
You can sign up to volunteer at Volunteer
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What We Aim To Solve
We are addressing hunger. We serve those experiencing hunger, who do not have the financial means to buyfood are eligible to receive a distribution of food . Our clients are primarily Hispanic and meet poverty and low income guidelines. Some only need help until they recover from illness and can return to work, some are extremely low income seniors living on $400 to $600 a month, some are temporarily or permanentlydisabled. We have case managers who connect clients to eligible benefits that stretch our resources further, e.g. SNAP . Our mission is to combat the hunger crisis in our region by strategically procuring and distributing nutritious food through community partners…because no one should go hungry.
Also Check: Food Banks In Riverside Ca
National School Lunch Program
EPFH proudly obtained the Texas Department of Agricultures highly competitive contract to manage the National School Lunch and Breakfast Program . Through this program, EPFH services 185,000 low-income children across 182 schools in seven West Texas counties, including El Paso, Culberson, Hudspeth, Brewster, Jeff Davis, Reeves and Presidio Counties.
With the volume of food reaching schools in West Texas dropping an unprecedented 50% over the past two years, and child food insecurity on the rise, this partnership between EPHF and the Texas Department of Agriculture could not be more urgent.
Feeding Americas 2019 Map the Meal Gap indicates food insecurity nationally for children was 14.6 %. The seven West Texas counties included in the Free Breakfast Free Lunch Program have distressing rates of childhood food insecurity averaging 24.8%, with Culberson and Presidio Counties as high as 34.6% & 34.7% respectively more than double the national average pre-pandemic.
Albertsons Partners With El Pasoans Fighting Hunger Food Bank This Hunger Action Month
EL PASO, Texas ABC-7 is teaming up with Albertsons to support the El Pasoans Fighting Hunger Food Bank this ‘hunger action month’.
This September, you’ll be able to help them continue the food banks mission when you shop at your local Albertsons.
Employees and volunteers at El Pasoans Fighting Hunger Food Bank work to prepare and distribute food to feed thousands across the Borderland.
From kids at Borderland schools to packaging food for hundreds of refugees.
Since January, El Pasos only food bank has served more than 150 thousand families.
El Pasoans Fighting Hunger Food Bank CEO, Susan Goodell said it’s been a challenge to keep up with demand.
We are struggling to find the resources to pay for the staffing the fuel for the trucks, and to bring food for 48 states here in this country to bring food to El Paso, said Goodell.
This September during hunger action month, you can make a difference.
When you shop at your local Albertsons, you can donate at the keypad when you pay at the register to help those in need.
Recommended Reading: Can Food Donation Drop Off
El Pasoans Fighting Hunger Food Bank Helping Keep Migrants Fed During Ongoing Surge
EL PASO, Texas – Volunteers with El Pasoans Fighting Hunger Food Bank have been helping migrants by making sandwiches and packing lunches.
CEO of El Pasoans Fighting Hunger Food Bank Susan Goodell told ABC-7 that her staff, volunteers and workers from Americorps are doing what they can to help migrants and the people of El Paso, but are struggling with staffing and donation shortages.
“To operate optimally, we need about 40 volunteers in the morning and 40 volunteers in the afternoon, and we are nowhere near that number. So we are patching it together with a very small staff,” said Goodell.
Anyone interested in volunteering with the food bank can visit think link for more information.
On Monday, a spokesperson from Border Patrol told ABC-7 that the El Paso sector is now seeing about 1,500 migrant encounters per day in the month of September, an increase from last week’s report of 1,300 a day.
A majority of these migrants are coming from Venezuela, and travel days, sometimes weeks, to the United States.
The City of El Paso said they have chartered 63 buses full of migrants to other cities across the country since August 23rd. That includes 59 buses to New York City and four buses to Chicago.
El Pasoans Fighting Hunger Food Bank Fights To Save Funding From City
On Tuesday, the El Paso City Council discussed whether or not the El Pasoans Fighting Hunger Food Bank should get $1.5 million that it was promised to build a community kitchen.
In 2019, the food bank was awarded a contract but three years later, the food bank has yet to see that money.
We were asked to sign the contract three separate times, which we did. We did not know why the city did not countersign the contract that they wrote, said El Pasoans Fighting Hunger CEO Susan Goodell.
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With less federal funding coming into El Paso, city staff recommended the city council remove the funding that was supposed to go to the food bank.
We are not proposing to take money and simply just reallocate it to someone else, rather what were saying is well put it back in the pot so that we can talk about what the need looks like today, said Nicole Ferrini, El Pasos Chief Resilience Officer.
Rep. Peter Svarzbein on Tuesday stated that the pandemic has proven the city to be resourceful and pressed city staff to find the $1.5 million elsewhere, like the American Rescue Plan.
Theres approximately 122 million that have not been appropriated by the city council out of 154 million, said Chief Financial Officer Robert Cortinas.
City council voted on the item. Mayor Oscar Leeser broke the tie and voted to deny city staffs request to take away the money awarded to the food bank.
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How Can You Help
When you sign up to be an El Pasoans Fighting Hunger Food Bank advocate, you will periodically be here is how.
EPFH will:
- inform you of critical and sometimes time-sensitive issues relating to our fight to end hunger
- provide you with guidance on how to contact your legislators and inform them why you feel these issues are important to your community
You, the advocate, will:
- learn how the decisions made at every level of government affect the individuals and families in your community
- become empowered with information relating to critical public policy priorities in order to share this information with the decision makers
Commodity Supplemental Food Program
EPFH started providing healthy food to 5,000 extremely low income senior citizens in our community on a monthly basis.
Through this Commodity Supplemental Food Program, senior citizens have the opportunity to have healthy foods and help maintain their health.
The seniors selected for this program generally earn $400 to $600 a month. Too often, these vulnerable seniors have to make difficult decisions between paying for rent, utilities, medicines and food.
Read Also: Food Bank Of Southeastern Virginia
Communicating With Policy Makers
Adding your voice to ours by communicating with policy makers in favor of or in opposition to a cause or issue gives you the power to become an active part of the process of how decisions are made at the local, state and federal levels and how these decisions affect the individuals and families we serve.
El Pasoans Fighting Hunger Food Bank And Pantries Change Hours
El Pasoans Fighting Hunger Food Bank has changed its pantry hours and closed some of its pantry locations.
The Nolan Richardson Recreation Center has closed. The last day was Aug. 4.
Holy Spirit Church, 14600 Horizon Blvd., in Horizon City will be reducing its days and hours. El Pasoans Fighting Hunger will no longer be operating the site.
Holy Spirit Church will operate the site one evening and potentially one morning per week. They will be distributing food from 6 to 8 p.m. starting Wednesday, Aug. 11.
The food bank, at 9541 Plaza Circle, will change its hours. Effective Monday, Aug. 9, the new hours will be from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. People should not arrive before 10 a.m. except for those seniors visiting the Food FARMacy.
The new hours for the food bank’s west distribution, at 5300 Doniphan Drive, will be from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.
The Kelly Center for Hunger Relief, at 915 N. Florence St., in Central El Paso, will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and 9 a.m. to noon Saturday.
Read Also: Sf Marin Food Bank Locations
Learn More About The Food Bank
SO, THEN… WHAT IS A FOOD PANTRY, OR A SOUP KITCHEN?
Food pantries distribute non-prepared foods and other grocery items to needy clients, who then prepare and use these items where they live. They are primarily operated through referral systems, in which staff at nonprofit organizations screen clients and refer them to pantries operated by volunteers. In El Paso, local food pantries obtain their food from the El Pasoans Fighting Hunger and then in turn distribute to their own clients.
A soup kitchen prepares and serves hot meals.
WHAT IS A FOOD BANK?
A FOOD BANK IS A 501 NON-PROFIT HUNGER RELIEF ORGANIZATION THAT SERVES AS A CLEARING HOUSE TO SOLICIT, INSPECT, REPACK AND DISTRIBUTE FOOD TO THE ORGANIZATIONS LIKE FOOD PANTRIES, SOUP KITCHENS AND SHELTERS THAT FEED THE OVER 131,000 PEOPLE IN NEED IN OUR REGION.
Food Bank Locations El Paso
There are several locations around El Paso where people can get food relief.»
What is a food bank?
A food bank is at the top of the distribution chain of food storage and distribution. They collect the food and then distribute it to various food pantry locations in El Paso whereby they in turn distribute the food to individuals in need. Food banks use pantries and other food relief charities to distribute for them and usually do not themselves give out food directly to people struggling with hunger.
U.S. food banks are all different, ranging from small operations to very large facilities that store and distribute millions of pounds of food each year. In El Paso, there is one primary food bank, El Pasoans Fighting Hunger , and it is a member of Feeding America, the nation’s largest hunger relief network. EPFH is the distribution center for over 132 pantries throughout the borderland southwest, including churches, schools and shelters. They also work along with other hunger initiatives that assists in SNAP. Food banks rely on donors and volunteers to carry out their day-to-day operations.
Food Bank Locations by West, Central and Northeast:
Other Food Bank Locations:
Map of Food Pantry Locations
Questions & Answers About Visiting a Food Pantry
Making the decision to visit a food pantry can be a tough one. Many people who are in need of food relief do not seek the assistance they need because of fear, embarrassment or pride. Here are some myths and facts about pantries.
Recommended Reading: St Mary’s Food Bank Az
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Alex Hinojosa is an El Paso freelance journalist and a mass communications instructor at El Paso Community College.More by Alex Hinojosa
El Paso Texas The El Pasoans Fighting Hunger Food Bank Made The Difficult Decision To Close Its Food Farmacy A Section Of The Food Bank That Was Dedicated To Its Seniors
The once fully stocked shelves are now left bare citing lack of workers and financial resources as part of the reason for the closure.
A Food FARMacy is a program within the food bank that focuses on El Paso seniors or those who have food related illnesses like heart disease or diabetes. Since those who do have those types of illnesses need to be on a stricter diet the FARMacy would provide those special items like vegan butter, vitamin water and other special food items that are low sugar and salt for their clients.
Now with the closure, the food bank is unable to provide them.
And for many of our clients what that means is they go to their grocery store and realize very quickly they cannot afford healthier foods and as long as they cannot maintain their diets they will never be able to improve their health.- Susan Goodell, CEO El Pasoans Fighting Hunger Food Bank
If you would like to get involved with El Pasoans Fighting Hunger you can find all the information on their website here.
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Iheart Media’s Fall Fundraiser: Buy The Box
Give back to your community this year. “Buy the Box” Fundraiser is raising awareness and monetary donations for the El Pasoans Fighting Hunger. A way to encourage and incentivize monetary donations over physical donations to the Food Bank, “Buy the Box” is a nod to the tens of thousands of boxes of food EPFH provides to our city weekly. Instead of giving a can good, “Buy the Box”.
El Pasoans Fighting Hunger Food Bankbecause no one should go hungry
Give an online donation, or join us in feeding our community by becoming a monthly giver. For every $1 donated, we can provide 7 meals. For example, your $20 a month translates into 140 meals for children, elderly and others who are hungry.
EPFH serves El Paso, Hudspeth and Culberson Counties. Since the pandemic began, the food bank has provided more than 1 million in emergency food distributions. Distributions include healthy groceries including protein, dairy products, grains, fruits and vegetables.
Every dollar you donate can provide up to seven meals for families right here in the borderland.
Donate now and give back to our community this holiday season
What We Do
EPFH is a partner distribution organization of Feeding America, the nations largest hunger-relief network and a member of the Texas Food Bank Network, a network of 21 food banks in Texas providing hunger relief to every county in Texas. In partnership with non-profit human service agencies, such as shelters, soup kitchens and food pantries, EPFH is playing a life-saving role in providing nutritious food to families struggling to meet basic needs and seniors living on fixed incomes. In addition to food distribution, El Pasoans Fighting Hunger offers direct service programs: PARTNER AGENCY- FOOD PANTRIES, MOBILE CLIENT CHOICE PANTRIES, SCHOOL PANTRIES, COMMODITY SUPPLEMENTAL FOOD PROGRAM , NATIONAL SCHOOL LUNCH PROGRAM , SNAP PROGRAM, and NUTRITION EDUCATION.
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