According to the Hays County Food Bank, one out of every seven people in the greater Hays area experience food insecurity. A term defined by the United States Department of Agriculture, food insecurity describes the lack of access, at times, to enough food to sustain an active, healthy life. A report released by Feeding America in 2020 stated that 14.8% of children under 18 in Hays County qualify as food insecure.
As Thanksgiving nears, many people on Facebook have been sharing a list of desirable and essential supplies that people can donate to area food banks. The list, originally posted by Tricia Anne Meyer from Florida, includes items that people often don’t think about when donating. For example, item number one in the donation list is Kraft Mac and Cheese in the box, which Meyer said, “They can rarely use it because it needs milk and butter, which is hard to get from regular food banks.” Meyer’s list also contained boxed milk, cooking oil, tea bags, coffee, spices, sugar and flour, fresh produce donated by farmers and grocery stores, dishwashing detergent and bread.
“They get lots of peanut butter and jelly,” Meyer wrote, “but usually not sandwich bread.”
