Dear friends,
So many things defined 2023. While we faced rising costs and natural disasters, your generous support allowed us to continue providing our neighbors with access to food during difficult times. Together, we continued alleviating hunger in the Texas Panhandle despite the challenges we faced.
Rising costs continued to affect neighbors and families across the Texas Panhandle. Food costs remained at record highs with signs of a steady increase. We received more requests for food assistance than ever before. We served an average of 21,612 neighbors and 11,192 families each month – a 4 percent increase from the previous year. Likewise, increased food, fuel, and maintenance costs are affecting our budget. We anticipate at least a 20 percent increase in maintenance costs and a 10 percent increase in fuel costs.
Last year also brought unforeseen challenges when multiple natural disasters struck the Texas Panhandle. After Memorial Day, widespread flooding wreaked havoc on local homes and businesses. HPFB responded to the flooding in Hereford and Amarillo with emergency food, water, and resources. Shortly after, the disastrous tornado struck Perryton, and HPFB responded immediately with over 1,000 emergency food boxes and ten pallets of water. After the initial response, HPFB continues to work with the impacted communities on long-term recovery efforts. HPFB has even received pass-through funding to help our partner food pantries rebuild, expand capacity, and receive additional food for long-term recovery.
Despite the challenges, 2023 presented several highlights:
- Distributed over 2.01 million pounds of fresh produce
- Received three new box trucks through a grant to increase our retail store food rescue capacity
- Distributed food to over 2,072 seniors each month through our senior food box program – while anticipating an increase in 2024
- Completed our new administrative building at 8th and Ross Street in Amarillo
HPFB remains committed to our mission to alleviate hunger in the Texas Panhandle. This year we plan to:
- Begin the research and planning stage for an on-site food assistance center at HPFB!
- Increase our fresh produce and protein distribution by 5 percent
- Leverage technology to help increase distribution and reporting for all our partner sites
- Further increase our capacity for food pick-ups and distributions with five new trucks
While many challenges lie ahead, your support will help us continue providing our neighbors access to healthy food. For every $1 you donate, we can distribute about nine meals! Thank you for helping us provide food and hope to our neighbors facing food insecurity.
Sincerely,
Zack Wilson
Executive Director
