Hunger has been a growing problem in North Texas over the last several years—even before recent legislation ended SNAP benefits for more than half a million Texans. 

New research from Feeding America shows that nearly 1.4 million North Texans in 2024 experienced food insecurity, meaning they didn’t know where their next meal was coming from. That’s nearly 20% of our region’s population, struggling to stay well fed. 

Across our region, food insecurity increased 35% from 2019 to 2024, the survey found. And the problem is hitting every age bracket, from young kids up to seniors.  

Food insecurity goes hand in hand with hunger, which has direct and lasting negative impacts on children and adults alike. For United Way of Metropolitan Dallas and our supporters, these numbers are a reminder that far too many of our neighbors need support at the most important and most fundamental level: having enough to eat. 

Here’s what increasing rates of hunger mean for children in our community and what we are doing to help North Texans bridge the gap. 

Why is hunger increasing in North Texas?

Experts point to a variety of factors driving the increase in hunger: the cost of food, housing and transportation; the availability of food in underserved areas; and a lack of living wages. Basically, people aren’t making enough money to afford the rising cost of everyday necessities.  

For many families, the situation has grown even more dire in the last 12 months. The 35% increase in food insecurity cited by Feeding America is from 2024 data—well before many North Texans lost their SNAP benefits, first during last year’s government shutdown and, more recently, as a result of funding cuts following the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. 

Today, about 550,000 fewer Texans receive SNAP benefits than a year ago—a 16% drop—and more than half of the people losing food assistance are children, according to reports.  

How does hunger affect a child’s ability to learn? 

Access to food is essential for maintaining good health. The availability of regular, nutritious meals significantly influences United Way’s focus areas of education, income and health, enabling children to stay healthy, learn and develop, succeed in school, and go on to achieve a stable career. On the other hand, hunger can cause significant challenges for kids at every stage. 

“Hunger and the lack of proper nutrition affects all of our lives in so many different ways,” says Ashley Douglas, vice president of Southern Dallas Thrives at United Way of Metropolitan Dallas. “For scholars and students, it directly impedes their ability to function in the classroom. We see it show up in the inability to properly focus and limiting learning capacity overall.”  

Research has also shown that childhood hunger can lead to an increased risk of health problems and developmental difference, both of which can have long-term effects on an individual’s success in school, physical health, career prospects and financial stability. 

How do we prevent hunger in North Texas? 

We can prevent hunger in our community by addressing barriers to food access and supporting people’s financial stability. 

Barriers to nutritious food might include a lack of grocery stores, which is the reality in many communities in Southern Dallas. It might also include a lack of transportation and living-wage jobs and increased grocery costs. For our neighbors who are struggling to make ends meet, it’s sometimes impossible to stretch every dollar far enough to pay for groceries, bills, rent and the unexpected, so it’s important to support programs that create pathways to living-wage jobs.  

Douglas says that today it’s more important than ever to strengthen access to nutrition for students, families and communities. “Improving the availability of resources—and advocating for those resources—is critically important in supporting our communities both locally and nationwide.” 

What United Way programs help prevent hunger? 

United Way takes two approaches to prevent hunger: by improving food access and by addressing the factors that make hunger all too common in our community, such as a lack of living wage jobs. 

Through programs like our Summer Meals Kickoff, we connect local families to critical resources such as free meals and grocery distributions during the summer months. And through our Community Impact Partners, like the Empowering the Masses Community Market, we improve food access for even more North Texans. In our last fiscal year alone, our Southern Dallas Thrives initiative provided more than 135,000 meals to local families. 

Meanwhile, we support our neighbors in other areas of their lives where setbacks can easily lead to food insecurity—encouraging career stability, overall health and financial security. For example: 

• Over the last year, more than 21,000 North Texans worked with our Healthcare Navigators to find affordable health insurance through CHIP/Medicaid or the Health Insurance Marketplace. (Looking for support finding quality, affordable health insurance? Contact our Healthcare Navigators to get started.) 

• In the last year, nearly 5,000 workers earned new jobs with higher salaries after completing training through our Pathways to Work initiative. 

• More than 1,100 families have opened savings accounts through Dollars for College, putting their children on a path to a higher education and better paying jobs. 

These and other United Way programs create economic and employment stability for our neighbors, which helps to ensure they can afford quality, nutritious food for themselves and their families. 

What are some ways to volunteer or donate to prevent hunger? 

At United Way, we hold several volunteer opportunities throughout the year that support food access, including the Meal Pack Party in November, where volunteers will pack more than 40,000 meals for families in our community. Volunteer registration will open soon, and you can sign up for updates on our volunteer webpage. 

Your donation to United Way can also prevent hunger by improving food access and by connecting more of our neighbors to good-paying jobs, higher education and affordable healthcare. Donate now. 

Meanwhile, you can join us in advocating for food assistance programs. Now is a powerful time to urge Congress to delay implementation of a new SNAP cost share requirement, which could have significant financial consequences for Texas and threaten access to food assistance for families across the state. Find out how you can help in our recent blog.