Hunger is also a persistent problem because many people are living below the federal poverty line in our community. 19% families are living below the poverty line, and their per capital income is $ 19,790 on average (median per capita income is $37,763). According to feedingtexas.org, 22.7% of the people that live in Brazos County are in food insecure homes. 26.5% of children live in these same homes which means that roughly 10,760 children in our community are at risk of hunger. There are lot of resources available to solve food insecurity problems in the community, but some individuals are not taking full advantage of the resources available to them. Others have come to rely on a food assistance system that is not designed for chronic use. Presently the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly the Food Stamp Program) is helping many families in Bryan ISD. It is providing eligible recipients with a free monthly allotment of credits that can be exchanged for food. The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) is federal government program helping families through private food assistance system. The private food assistance network is a loose collection of entities operated primarily by nonprofits and churches. However, some issues limit the effectiveness of the current food assistance system. First, eligibility requirements can prevent some individuals who are truly in need from accessing adequate food. SNAP eligibility is relative to the federal poverty line, an outdated and somewhat arbitrary measure that does not encompass the full range of financial needs. As a result, local food pantries are experiencing high demand and repeat clients, which challenge their ability to meet the community’s nutritional needs.
Even those receiving public or private food assistance in Bryan find that it is often inadequate for their nutritional needs. Nearly 55 percent of Feeding America’s clients in Bryan community currently receive SNAP benefits but report that those benefits do not provide enough food to last the entire month. Thus, several local service providers are taking actions to alleviate hunger in Brazos County, including the BCSSA, St. Vincent de Paul, Twin City Mission, The Boys and Girls Club, and Brazos Valley Food Bank.
All of these aspects are hindering students' education. Last school year, 64 students at Rudder High School faced homelessness at some point during the year. Overall, we realized that people are still struggling to secure stable housing, adequate food to fulfill their hunger, adequate nutrition, high-quality education, and sound health.
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