Across Southwest Texas, more than 200,000 children living in low-income households rely on school provided breakfast and lunch. But when school lets out, those meals disappear—leaving many kids facing hunger.

Food insecurity isn’t just about hunger—it’s about the long-term impact on health, education, and financial well-being. When individuals and families don’t have reliable access to nutritious food, the effects cascade into nearly every aspect of life. The Los Angeles Regional Food Bank sees firsthand how providing access to nutritious food items can change lives in powerful ways.

In these challenging times, we’re seeing many new faces here at St. Mary’s Food Bank — people who’ve been hit hard by inflation and soaring costs. Many are turning to us for the very first time.

It only takes a slight rent increase, an unexpected expense like a flat tire, or a visit to the emergency room to cause a family to face the unthinkable: hunger. For one in eight Central Floridians, that’s the reality.

On a bustling day at the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank’s new distribution center in the City of Industry, volunteers from April Housing and other CoreGiving partners came together to pack boxes of food, addressing both food insecurity and nutrition insecurity in the community.