Result 1. Hidalgo County Children Ages 0-5 Are Healthy

% of children 0-18 living in a Hidalgo County household with difficulty meeting basic food needs

Current Value

27.8%

2018

Definition

Definitions: Number and percentage of children estimated to be food insecure. A child (under 18 years old) is defined as being food insecure if he or she lives in a household having difficulty meeting basic food needs, as defined by the Census Bureau's Current Population Survey.

Line Bar Comparison

Story Behind the Curve

Contributing Factors

High rates of poverty leave large segments of the population struggling to pay for food
Competing financial priorities

Transportation to the grocery store presents a challenge, particularly for families in rural communities in the RGV
Family dynamics
- Working/overworked parents or caregivers (not enough time to prepare meals)
- Grandparent care (especially for children of incarcerated parents)
  - Fixed incomes make it difficult to stretch food budget
Border region
- Immigration status
- Mixed family compositions (one parents from US, other from MX)
- Individual might be eligible for benefits but their family member isn’t, so threat of legal ramifications is very real
Gap exists during weekends and holidays when children are vulnerable to hunger
Lack of awareness about child hunger
Fear for others in home due to immigrant status
Domestic violence; person leaves home where DV is occurring, less stability
Neighborhood infrastructure
Sudden changes in family stability
- Parent death
Administrative burden placed on the family for enrollment or re-enrollment
Bureaucracy
High rate of homeless children in the RGV who are especially vulnerable
2018 flood drastically changed the life situations in the RGV
- Displaced families
- Created strain on local resources

Restricting Factors

USDA Food and Nutrition Services provides:
- School breakfast
- School lunch
- After school meals
- Summer meals
- Services provided to all children because income levels are so low across the RGV
- Programming offered in a “child friendly” manner
- Food pantries
  - RGV food bank
  - Bread ministries
- Fun programs at food program sites
- WIC/SNAP
- Community gardens
- Increased awareness amongst children of the issues related to hunger
  - Diabetes Summer Camp
- After school programs are adding summer meals
- Community partnerships/system perspective
  - UTRGV
  - Baylor
  - TAMU
  - STC
  - TSTC
- Head Start
- Home Visiting Programs
- Promotoras
  - Promote healthy eating
- Farmers Markets
  - Accepting WIC
- School pantry
  - Recycled lunch

Partners

Faith community -
Community centers -
Public schools – Open doors on weekend to provide service locations
Private sector – Donate dollars, volunteer time, and resources
Texas Agrilife – Marketing
Promotora/os – Provide community outreach, especially to communities that are isolcated
South TX Juvenile Diabetes – Child-focused education
Proyecto Azteca/LUPE/Arise – Support and technical assistance for immigrants
County governments
LRDC - Transportation
Regional Metropolitan Planning Organizations – Policy and guidance on infrastructure development
UT RGV/South Texas College – Closed pantries, community programs, policy research, nutritional education, teacher training
Region 1 Education Service Center – School nurse, food policy
Healthcare Providers – Promote awareness (outreach)
Region 11, DSHS – Promote awareness (marketing)
Service clubs (Kiwanis, Lions, etc.)
United Way of Cameron – Funding, promote awareness
Easter Seals-RGV
Chef’s Org – Food to Aurora
BCFS – Teen Reentry
IFNP
FQHCs
STAY
Buckner

What Works

Evidence-based programs

Backpack programs that put food into students hands during peak periods of food insecurity
USDA FSNPs
Learn Grow Eat Go
WIC/SNAP
Home Visiting programs
“McKinley Program” serves homeless students
Adopt Active Transportation Plans in RGV that promote increased walkability across community
Complete Streets

Promising practices

Engage private sector donations for special projects
Promotora/os
Community gardens and school farms
Fruits and Vegetables prescription
- HOPE Farmacy
Double bucks increase value @ farmer’s market
FMNP through WIC
Expand Promotora knowledge around how to apply/reapply for food stamps
Message to recipients

No cost/Low cost solutions

Use parental involvement staff for resident referral
Connect restaurants to food banks (FRN)
Launch Gleaming Fields initiative, where residents pick remaining crops after harvest has been completed
Establish region-wide policy for school food pantry
Implement photo voice campaigns

Off the Wall thinking

Temporary worker permits, which decrease levels of fear amongst immigrant communities
Pro bono lawyers to support immigrant issues
Engage public officials to participate in poverty simulation exercise

Strategy #1

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Strategy #2

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Strategy #3

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