Atwell opened with an eye-opening stat: more than 47 million individuals in the U.S. are food insecure. “This means they do not have reliable access to enough nutritious food for an active, healthy life,” she said. “Among them are 13.8 million children — roughly one in five kids — who are especially vulnerable to the long-term effects of hunger.”
The conversation progressed to making a difference. Greene said the Houston Food Bank utilizes programs like Brighter Bites to drive education to bring neighbors and make them future retail customers for the produce industry. Lytch said, “It is important to tap into local food banks and see distribution firsthand to see the good work that the produce industry does in this area.”
Atwell added that, “Non-profits like Healthy Family Project have innovative resources like its educational content as well as cause marketing campaigns to help retailers and growers make donating easy and in non-traditional ways.
“In fact, Healthy Family Project has helped support Feeding America food banks serve over 22 million meals,” Atwell continued. “They do the heavy lift, and the food banks receive the funding to execute programming. We also know that Food banks have the unique capacity to build demand for fruits and vegetables and pilot innovative projects.”
Greene said, “The Houston Food Bank doesn’t see produce consumption going down and has it as a priority for its procurement and distribution plan.”
Another area the session addressed was food waste. Atwell said Feeding America is committed to making a difference by rescuing food that would otherwise be thrown away. “We ensure it’s put to its best use — feeding people in need rather than filling landfills. Our efforts prevent food waste at every point in the supply chain, from farms to grocery stores, whether during normal operations or in response to disasters. The foundation we’ve built allows us to respond swiftly during emergencies, ensuring that vulnerable communities receive the support they need when they need it most.”
The bottom line: There are opportunities, everywhere, to help those in need, and the produce industry is in prime position to lead the way.
Photo: Sherri Atwell, Brian Greene and Adam Lytch.
