Thanksgiving Season Is Upon Us
Many of us in District 32 will be celebrating Thanksgiving with family and friends this season. It is important to remember those who may not have this connection. I ask this season that we give back by helping those who are less fortunate and very much in need. District 32 is served by the Food Bank of Corpus Christi, which serves eleven coastal counties that include Aransas, Nueces and San Patricio County. The Food Bank is one of the 21 food banks located throughout the state that make up the Texas Food Bank Network. The network provides food to charities and service organizations in all 254 counties in Texas.
It is estimated by a recent study that around 1.7 million Texans suffer from food insecurity in our state. The food banks across Texas are an extremely important source of food. It is important to remember that the individuals that need help from the food banks come from a broad cross-section of households. The percentage of the total food that is distributed by food programs is heavily dependent on our local food banks. To put that in perspective, around 69% of all the sources of food comes from Feeding America member food banks.
There are many ways that you can help feed the hungry not just this Holiday Season, but year round. You can donate food and/or money to the food banks or even coordinate a food/fund drive. If you would like to donate food, the food banks are always in need of nutritious, non-perishable foods such as: meals in a can (stew, chili, soup), tuna / canned meat, peanut butter, canned foods with pop-top lids, low sugar cereals, 100% fruit juices in single serving boxes, canned fruit packed in juice, and canned vegetables (low salt). The food bank in our area can be located at:
Food Bank of Corpus Christi
826 Krill Street
Corpus Christi, TX 78408
361-887-6291
While food donations are welcome and appreciated, the most cost-effective and convenient way to give is to make a monetary donation on-line. Credit card donations can be made on their website at Food Bank of Corpus Christi (Aransas, Nueces, San Patricio Counties). Monetary donations give each food bank the flexibility to put resources towards specific food areas that may be more depleted than others.
Also, as an update to last week’s article, I wanted to provide some further information about Type 1 Diabetes. This type of diabetes represents around 5% of those with diabetes. It is a very real health problem especially knowing that a person’s body does not produce insulin. This is important to understand because insulin is what gets glucose (broken down sugars and starches) from the bloodstream into the cells of the body to use for energy. Insulin therapy and other treatments can help people with Type 1 Diabetes live long and healthy lives. To learn more about Type 1 Diabetes, please visit American Diabetes Association.
If you would like to follow the Texas House and learn more information on news, committees or other aspects of the legislative body, you can access its website at Texas House of Representatives. The site features live streaming from committee hearings as well as access to a number of other resources. You can also follow the Texas Senate at Texas Senate. For important information regarding transportation in the state, feel free to visit the Texas Department of Transportation. Other references are the Texas General Land Office, or visit the Texas Railroad Commission.
If you have questions regarding any of the information mentioned in this week’s article, please do not hesitate to call my Capitol or District Office. Please always feel free to contact my office if you have any questions or issues regarding a Texas state agency, or if you would like to contact my office regarding constituent services. As always, my offices are available at any time to assist with questions, concerns or comments (Capitol Office, 512-463-0672; District Office, 361-949-4603).
– State Representative Todd Hunter, District 32
Rep. Hunter represents Nueces County (Part). He can be contacted at todd.hunter@house.state.tx.us or at 512-463-0672.
