According to the dictionary, the word “imagine” means to “form a mental picture.” But it’s hard to imagine something you’ve never witnessed or experienced, like a child going hungry. Yet, for the one in five households in Texas, that struggle to afford enough food is a scary reality.

Now imagine being part of the solution. Imagine the smile on a child’s face when they receive a fresh orange in a food box from a hunger relief organization. Or imagine the relief a senior feels when she receives a bag of food and inside are several potatoes that will help stretch a meager food budget.

These scenarios are very common for the 21 food banks and almost 4,000 hunger relief agencies that make up the Texas Food Bank Network (TFBN). Our food banks strive not only to fill these empty stomachs but also to nourish hungry Texans with healthy foods. This is made possible through the millions of pounds of donated produce from caring farmers across the state.

In the past 12 months, Texas food banks have increased their distribution to over 100 million pounds of produce, the majority of it from Texas growers. This figure represents almost 40 percent of the food distributed by TFBN members every year.

“Growers who donate their surplus produce to our food banks ensure that we can offer a steady supply of nutritious fresh produce to thousands of hungry children and families we serve every month,” said TFBN Chief Executive Officer Celia Cole. “We provide these growers with an outlet for surplus or unsellable product they would otherwise have to spend money to dispose of. It’s a win-win for Texas growers and hungry Texans.”

Produce comes to our food banks from many different sources. The most desirable is fresh produce that is donated to us. Some of our donors see it as part of their mission to help their neighbors and donate on a regular basis. Others may have a kicked load and find it more cost-effective to donate than to find another buyer or transport it to another location to be re-worked. Produce also comes from packers and manufacturers that is not considered first-run product. In fact, we have a friend in the industry that is fond of the term “U.S. ugly”— produce that may not be fit for retail shelves but that has all its nutritional value. Instead of being dumped or returned to the field to be plowed under or used to supplement animal feed, this product helps feed our less fortunate neighbors.

Other donations come from growers who have product in the field they know they can’t sell so they harvest and donate it to us. TFBN also works closely with the Texas Department of Agriculture’s Texans Feeding Texans program, which provides funds to help offset the cost of these donations.

Paula Jernigan, executive director of the Mission Central Metroplex, recalled one of her favorite stories, experienced during a mobile produce pantry sponsored by the Tarrant Area Food Bank in Fort Worth.

“I noticed a lady that had a large supply of carrots in her grocery cart and commented, ‘You must like carrots!’ She quickly responded, ‘Well, no. I hate carrots but the little elderly women in my neighborhood who can’t drive and come to this event are always excited to get these carrots. They make carrot-raisin salad, carrot cake and lots of other things with these carrots. And I love sharing them. It makes their day.’ We encourage Texas growers to remember us when they have produce to donate. All of our food banks have the capacity to receive full truckloads of produce as well as the coolers, freezers, refrigerated trucks and other infrastructure needed to distribute 100 million pounds of produce annually. But we also have the capacity to do so much more.”

In Texas, one out of every four children is at risk of hunger. Solving a problem this big and this important is a shared responsibility. If you have never been to your local food bank, take a few minutes out of your day to stop by. You will find a team of professionals willing and able to work with you and any opportunities you bring. If they can’t take advantage of your donation, there will always be 20 other food banks eager to do so.

Just imagine a state in which every child can experience the joy of a juicy watermelon and no senior is forced to skip the produce aisle in order to afford medicine. Join forces with the Texas Food Bank Network and put your donations to work today in the fight against hunger.

For more information, contact Michael DeBerry at [email protected] or Lee Pipkin at [email protected].

Lee Pipkin is the director of food resources for the Texas Food Bank Network.