The North Texas Food Bank has announced a partnership with Google.org, the company’s philanthropic arm, and Feeding America. The NTFB will receive $250,000 to deliver meals.
The partnership also builds long-term technology solutions to scale their impact and provide the community with greater access to resources. This announcement is part of a larger initiative from Google.org and Feeding America to help provide 50 million meals to communities across the U.S.
“The North Texas Food Bank has been a key local driver in addressing food insecurity, helping the nearly 700,000 people facing hunger within its 13-country service territory,” said John Muns, mayor of Plano.
“I’m grateful that Google.org is supporting the North Texas Food Bank’s incredible work with funds that will provide hundreds of thousands of meals and help the food bank improve its technological infrastructure to ensure it can continue to care for our community.”
The NTFB reports that the need for food assistance is greater than it was at the height of the pandemic. Since March, the Food Bank has seen a 17 percent increase in the number of meals NTFB has provided access to through the SNAP and food distributed. The NTFB and its network are providing access to an average of 12.3 million meals each month.
“With inflated food, gas and housing costs, our neighbors in every zip code, many of whom were struggling before the pandemic, are facing increasingly difficult choices every day – deciding whether to purchase groceries or pay for other necessities such as gas, medicine or utilities – and that’s a decision no one should have to make,” said Trisha Cunningham, president and CEO.
“We are thankful for corporate partners like Google.org that not only provide operating support to bridge the hunger gap in North Texas but also understands the critical role technology investments have on our ability to provide our neighbors facing hunger food for today and hope for tomorrow.”
Google has seen the need reflected in Google Search Trends on a national and local level in Texas. Nationally, Google sees a spike in searches for food support every November, but more people are making searches around “food” and “prices” in 2022. They are also searching “how to give back” more than ever, with searches for “where to donate food near me” skyrocketing 850 percent over the past five years.
“We simply could not do what we do in the fight against hunger without the support of the community and invite you to join in the fight against hunger. Volunteer your time at the North Texas Food Bank or with one of many feeding partners,” Cunningham said.
“Host a canned food drive or make a financial donation – for every $1 donated, we can provide three nourishing meals. Lend your voice to advocate and thank our elected officials for supporting food policies and programs that help families in need. Access to nutritious food should never have to be a choice and your involvement means more food on the table and more hope for our community.”
The North Texas Food Bank will also receive donated Search Ads to connect people looking for help with resources, provide avenues for others to give back and drive food security awareness nationwide.
