Food insecurity in the 13-county service region of the Tarrant Area Food Bank rose 35% from 2023 to 2024, while the population grew by only 10% in that same time period, according to Feeding America’s Mind the Meal Gap study.

Local Impact

Nearly 1.4 million North Texans experienced food insecurity in 2024, defined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as a household-level economic and social condition of limited or uncertain access to adequate food.

The rising number reflects a regional trend for the combined 25 counties serviced by Tarrant Area Food Bank and North Texas Food Bank. Together, those two agencies constitute the largest food bank in the country, according to Julie Butner, CEO and President of Tarrant Area Food Bank.

Cause for Concern

The growth in people experiencing scarcity is especially concerning in North Texas given the rates seen locally, Butner said. "It’s really disturbing that the food insecurity rates are growing at a faster pace than the population growth," she added.

Over 506,000 kids and 294,500 seniors experienced food insecurity in North Texas in 2024, an increase of 64,190 and 55,000, respectively, from the previous year.

Strained Food Banks

Food banks and the charitable food system have become increasingly strained as dependence upon them has increased. The increase in dependence relates to the cuts in federal funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) following the passage of The One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

"The charitable food system cannot be a substitute for the federal nutrition programs," Butner said. "That was never intended. We don’t have that resource. We don’t get enough donor dollars. We don’t have enough food donations to ever be a replacement to a federal program."

Original reporting: Fort Worth Report — read the source article.