World Food Day is October 16.
With this year’s theme being, “Our actions are our future – better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life,” we’re proud to support several excellent organizations working to provide communities with meals, address food insecurity, and ultimately end hunger.
These organizations have provided much-needed nourishment during this unprecedented time. In fact, Feeding America reports that food banks across the country are serving 55 percent more people now than before the pandemic.
One such organization is Central Texas Food Bank (CTFB) based in Austin, Texas, home to Oracle’s headquarters. Oracle has supported CTFB since 2019, providing fresh produce to food-insecure communities across Central Texas.
In this Q&A, we hear from CTFB about their response to the pandemic, the importance of food banks, and what you can do to help.
In three words, how would you describe the Central Texas region?
Caring. Generous. Community-minded.
World Food Day aims to educate others about the importance of a sustainable agri-food system that makes nutritious and safe foods available to everyone. What does World Food Day mean to CTFB?
World Food Day is not just about celebrating the wonderful food that most of us are privileged enough to enjoy. It’s also about raising awareness about the millions of people—here and around the world—who don’t enjoy that privilege.
Central Texas Food Bank has been serving the community for nearly 40 years. 
Since the beginning of the pandemic, how has CTFB adapted to address the pandemic and serve those in need?
At the height of COVID, the number of first-time households seeking food assistance increased by 220% as compared to pre-COVID numbers. In the fiscal year ending September 30, 2020, 215,000 new households sought food assistance.
The Food Bank used its organizational agility to respond rapidly to the pandemic. We immediately knew we had to meet the increased demand in a way that was as safe as possible for our staff, clients, and volunteers. CTFB spent the first few months of the pandemic reshaping our distribution model with mass, drive-through distributions as the primary means of reaching a large volume of clients at once. In a mass distribution, pre-boxed food is placed in the trunks of clients’ vehicles. From April 2020 to September 2021, the Food Bank held over 128 of these events, serving as many as 2,210 households at a single event.
How has the increased demand effected CTFB’s operations and how do you ensure you’re able to meet the needs of the community?
Unlike other disasters to which the Food Bank has responded, the pandemic response has become the “new normal” for our distributions, operating model, and client demand. Our predictions suggested—and have proven true to date—that client demand would remain high for the early part of 2021, with a slow recovery back to pre-pandemic demand by late 2022.
Early in the pandemic, when there were supply chain shortages, we purchased food at or near retail prices. Even after the supply chain leveled out, we continued to purchase food to meet increased demand, and inventory was dependent on product availability and sourcing. In the fiscal year ending September 30, 2020, the Food Bank distributed 64.5 million pounds of food in the community, the equivalent of 54 million meals, an increase of 12.4% over the prior year.
Food insecurity is a global issue. What actions can an individual take to make a difference today?
Individuals can take action against food insecurity by learning about the issue, volunteering their time to fight hunger, raising awareness about food insecurity, and donating funds to help people in need.