North Texas Food Bank Advocates for Hunger Relief in Washington
Feeding America’s Farm Bill Fly-In Trip brought the chance to talk with lawmakers about the needs in our community.

Without support for the North Texas Food Bank, partners like Aunt Bette’s Community Pantry would not have the groceries they need to provide for their neighbors facing hunger.
That was the message Kelvin Browning and Angelyn Page, the director of community pantry and food pantry coordinator at Aunt Bette’s, shared with lawmakers when they joined us for Feeding America’s Farm Bill Fly-In visit to Washington, D.C., March 5 and 6.
Our group was among the 176 Feeding America network members who took part in the trip and advocated for both a strong Farm Bill and continued support of anti-hunger programs, like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP).
While we were there, we were grateful to see Congress pass an appropriations bill that fully funded SNAP, TEFAP food purchases and the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) that provides food to seniors. It also increased funding for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC). However, the bill cut the amount of money provided to help food banks distribute TEFAP food. The program is essential to our ability to meet the higher levels of need being seen, which Kelvin emphasized when talking with officials at the Capitol.
“We asked for more money for TEFAP because if the Food Bank doesn’t get funding, we don’t have support—we rely on the Food Bank,” Kelvin said, adding that they are continuing to see more families and seniors seeking assistance.

Hunger relief is a bi-partisan issue and strong anti-hunger policy is crucial to our operations, so like Kelvin, we are excited anytime we get the chance to talk with lawmakers.
Along with the team from Aunt Bette’s, I was joined on the trip by NTFB External Affairs Officer Erica Yaeger, NTFB Board Vice Chair (and Global President & COO of Ryan) Ginny Kissling and several other leaders from our community partners. Those included Laurel Stanley Abihabib, chief program officer at Network of Community Ministries; Devyn Buschow, parish relations program manager at Catholic Charities Dallas and Funmilayo Adeyemi, president of Hope for You Greenville. Madeline Kissling, a Baylor University student and former NTFB Young Advocate, also attended.
When advocating for the needs of the NTFB and its neighbors, we hope to share with lawmakers how hunger is impacting their district. Numbers help tell that story—many were upset to hear that Texas is now the second-hungriest state in the nation and that the 13 counties served by the NTFB have the fourth-highest number of food insecure people in the country. But stories about the neighbors our partners serve are especially impactful.
Kelvin and Angelyn shared that there are weeks when they hand out dozens of emergency food supply boxes and that it’s not unusual to register 10 or more new neighbors for grocery assistance each time their pantry is open. The area they serve in South Dallas is a food desert and with the cost of food, housing and other necessities up, people are increasingly struggling to make ends meet.
“We explained we have people who have a job, they just don’t’ make enough to pay all of their bills,” Kelvin said. “They’re making decisions about paying the light bill or feeding their kids… You don’t have to be poor to be in need.”

Over the course of two days, members of our group met with staff in Senators Ted Cruz and John Cornyn’s offices and with the Congressional offices of Colin Allred (District 32), Michael C. Burgess (District 26), Jasmine Crockett (District 30), Jake “J.K” Ellzey (District 6), Pat Fallon (District 4), Lance Gooden (District 5), Ronny Jackson (District 13), Beth Van Duyne (District 24), Marc Veasey (District 33) and Keith Self (District 3).
Rep. Crockett, who is a member of the House Agriculture Committee, met with our group in the exclusive House Democratic Cloak Room, located just off the House floor.
In Congressman Allred’s office, we had the opportunity to meet and take a tour with intern Jonathan Olmos. Jonathan shared that while growing up in North Texas, his family received food from an NTFB partner pantry in Plano during an especially difficult period for his mom, who was raising him and his brother on her own. Since then, Jonathan launched a business to put himself through college, and he’s now preparing to attend law school in 2025.
“I’m extremely thankful for the work NTFB does in lending a hand to people when they need it most,” he said. “As an attorney, I’d like to provide my legal services to those in the community who need that extra bit of help, just as NTFB did for my family and I when we needed it.”
Erica said meeting Jonathan was a “full circle” moment that really underscores the importance of the work the NTFB is doing every day. She added that having strong anti-hunger policies is what allows the Food Bank to meet the needs of its neighbors, like Jonathan and his family.
“We’re dependent on strong policy to support the infrastructure required to make sure that none of our neighbors experience hunger,” she said.
Learn more about NTFB’s advocacy efforts and how you can get involved here.
Clarissa Clarke is government relations officer for the North Texas Food Bank.