Voices For Food Security

ANTI-HUNGER ADVOCACY

The Power Of Voice

Advocating For Food Security

The San Antonio Food Bank leads anti-hunger advocacy efforts in San Antonio and our 29-county region of Southwest Texas.

  • We identify and promote policy priorities to end food insecurity and advance the work of the San Antonio Food Bank.
  • We build and sustain relationships with elected and government officials at the local, state, and federal level to improve the nutrition, health, and well-being of community members.
  • We educate and mobilize elected officials and community members to support legislative solutions to end food insecurity.

Why We Advocate

We advocate for policies that protect individuals and families from hunger. To end hunger for good, we need strong public policy. We are committed to advancing policy solutions that promote equitable food access and create opportunities for our neighbors to thrive.

Our Policy Priorities

Federal

Our federal advocacy efforts focus on strengthening federal nutrition programs.

Our current federal policy priorities include:

  • The Farm Bill
    • Doubling funding for annual TEFAP food purchases to $500 million per year
    • Doubling funding for TEFAP storage and distribution to $200 million per year
    • Ensuring that SNAP is strengthened, protected and its purchasing power remains strong by:
    • Maintaining USDA’s authority to modernize the Thrifty Food Plan on a regular basis
  • Appropriations
    • Fully funding TEFAP storage and distribution as well as the CSFP and WIC programs.
    • Maintaining funding and purchase authority in USDA’s Commodity Credit Corporation and Section 32 programs.
  • Military Hunger
    • Increasing the number of service members who are eligible for the military Basic Needs Allowance by excluding the military housing allowance from income calculations.
  • College Hunger
    • Reducing SNAP eligibility restrictions that apply to college students with low incomes.

State

Our state advocacy efforts focus on improving access to healthy, nutritious food and nutrition programs, strengthening workforce development and job skills training, and ensuring that disaster and emergency food assistance align with community need. The San Antonio Food Bank is advocating alongside Feeding Texas and partners across the state on the following 2025 State Legislative Priorities:

Increasing Access To Food And Improving Health Outcomes:

  1. Eliminate the backlog of SNAP applications and increase efficiencies by streamlining SNAP six-month eligibility checks with periodic reporting. Periodic reporting is a proven tool to reduce workload, save on administrative costs and enhance program integrity. Georgia recently implemented periodic reporting and saw a 25% reduction in workload for their eligibility staff. Applied to Texas’ eligibility workforce, this change could save over $33 million in state funds per year.
  1. Fight child hunger during the summer by implementing Summer EBT. Nearly 1 in 4 Texas children experience hunger, which spikes in the summer because millions of children lose access to school meals. Summer EBT is a new program that would provide low-income families with children $120 in food benefits during the summer.
  1. Improve health outcomes and reduce state healthcare costs by developing a streamlined Medicaid reimbursement model that integrates food bank services into our healthcare system and enables doctors to prescribe healthy food.
  1. Modernize the eligibility system by adequately funding the Texas Health and Human Service Commission’s Legislative Appropriations Request (LAR) Exceptional Item #2 to fix problems with TIERS. System errors and glitches within TIERS, the system that enrolls Texans in SNAP, Medicaid, and TANF, have led to application processing delays and wrongful denials.

Tackling The Root Causes Of Hunger:

  1. Strengthen Our Local Food Systems: Local food systems can help reduce food insecurity and increase resilience by reducing food waste, supporting local economies, improving food quality and making fresh, nutritious food more accessible to everyone.
  1. Increase Healthcare Access: Hunger and health are deeply connected. Individuals facing food insecurity are more likely to experience adverse health effects and face barriers to accessing necessary health services.
  1. Ensure Housing Affordability: Strengthening access to affordable, quality housing allows Texan to allocate more of their household budgets to other essential needs like food.
  1. Improve Financial Security: As food prices continue to rise, financial security and economic stability are essential to ensure Texas households can meet their nutrition needs, thrive in the workforce, and save for the future.

The 89th Texas Legislature’s regular session runs from January 14, 2025 to June 2, 2025. Learn more at capitol.texas.gov.

Local

Our local advocacy efforts include fostering partnerships that allow us to procure and distribute food efficiently in the communities we serve and identifying opportunities collaboratively address the root causes of food insecurity by supporting housing, education, and employment initiatives.

Learn About Key Anti-Hunger Policies

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)

SNAP provides monthly benefits through Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards, that are used like debit cards to purchase groceries at authorized retailers. The amount of SNAP benefits a person receives each month is determined by their income and family size.

The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP)

TEFAP purchases nutritious foods from U.S. growers and producers for food banks to distribute to community members experiencing food insecurity. TEFAP is reliable and substantial source of food for food banks across the country.

Woman holding San Antonio Food Bank branded tote bag.

Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP)

CSFP provides monthly food packages through food banks or other local organizations to seniors with low incomes. CSFP serves individuals aged 60 and older with incomes of less than 130% of the federal poverty level.

Young boy smiling and holding a bunch of bananas.

Child Nutrition Programs

Child Nutrition Programs encompass several different programs, designed to reduce hunger and promote nutrition among children from families with low incomes.

Together, We Can Choose To End Hunger

Hunger Is A Policy Choice

At the San Antonio Food Bank, we believe hunger is solvable. While food assistance meets immediate needs, lasting change requires action at the policy level. Hunger is a policy choice—and we all have a role to play in shaping policies that strengthen our communities and ensure no one goes hungry.

The Hunger Is a Policy Choice campaign is our call to action. We’re rallying Anti-Hunger Advocates to unite for meaningful change by learning about our policy priorities, engaging with elected officials, and helping to build a community of consciousness by amplifying our efforts with your network. Collectively, we can make an impact on the policies that shape access to food and critical resources for families in need.

Be A Voice For Change

Sign up for our Advocacy newsletter to stay informed about the latest updates and actions needed to advance hunger-relief efforts. You’ll be among the first to receive alerts and tools to connect with policymakers as we navigate a new year of legislative opportunities to fight hunger.

Our Reach

Mapping The Meal Gap

The San Antonio Food Bank proudly serves a vast region across Southwest Texas, encompassing a 29-county service area. As we work to fight hunger, it’s essential that we continually assess the gaps in our coverage—those areas where families and individuals may still struggle to access the nutritious food they need.

By understanding these gaps, we can better allocate resources and provide stronger, more targeted support to underserved communities. This information is crucial for you as an advocate, empowering you with the knowledge to help spread awareness, support solutions, and stand up for your neighbors who might be in need.

Together, we can ensure that no one is left behind in the fight against hunger.

Our Reach

Mapping The Meal Gap

The San Antonio Food Bank proudly serves a vast region across Southwest Texas, encompassing a 29-county service area. As we work to fight hunger, it’s essential that we continually assess the gaps in our coverage—those areas where families and individuals may still struggle to access the nutritious food they need.

By understanding these gaps, we can better allocate resources and provide stronger, more targeted support to underserved communities. This information is crucial for you as an advocate, empowering you with the knowledge to help spread awareness, support solutions, and stand up for your neighbors who might be in need.

Together, we can ensure that no one is left behind in the fight against hunger.

Take Action

Connect With Us To Affect Change

Childhood Hunger In Our Community

Learn more about the effects that childhood hunger has on our community.

Sign Up For Advocacy Action Alerts

Receive e-mail updates about policy issues affecting hunger and how to make a difference.

Tell Congress:

Make it easier for hungry kids to access meals. Tell your lawmakers you want them to ban lunch shaming in the Chid Nutrition Reauthorization Act.

Tell Congress:

Increase SNAP benefits. Tell your lawmakers you want them to increase Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits.

Feeding America
Feeding Texas

Visit Feeding America and the Food Action Research Center (FRAC) to learn more about hunger issues and advocacy efforts.

For questions regarding advocacy, please contact:

MARIO OBLEDO
Chief of Government & Public Affairs
210.431.8501
mobledo@safoodbank.org