North Texas Food Bank and Atmos Energy Donate Hunger Bugs Me! Book to 785 Elementary Schools
The book creates a conversation about the issue of hunger with children. Dallas Cowboys center Tyler Biadasz helped celebrate the gift by reading the book at White Rock Elementary School.

The North Texas Food Bank (NTFB) in partnership with Atmos Energy, donated copies of its Hunger Bugs Me! children’s book to 785 elementary school libraries across the 13 counties served by the food bank.
In celebration of the book distribution, Dallas Cowboys center Tyler Biadasz volunteered on Tuesday, Nov. 14, to read the book to students at White Rock Elementary School.
Biadasz said after volunteering at the North Texas Food Bank, he was shocked to learn that the number of people facing hunger in North Texas could fill AT&T Stadium, where the Cowboys play, eight times. He wanted to get more involved and said he was excited for the chance to read Hunger Bugs Me! as it’s never too early to start learning about issues like hunger.
Published in 2021, this book was produced by the NTFB to create a conversation about the issue of hunger in the community. In the book, Ladybug and her friends embark on an adventure in Jan’s Garden at the NTFB Perot Family Campus to help their friend, Butterfly, who is facing hunger. Through the story, children are able to learn about the complex problem of food insecurity in an easy-to-understand way and walk away with ideas about how they can be a part of the solution.
“It is surprising to most that North Texas has the fourth-highest number of people facing hunger across the nation – about 640,000, and tragically more than one-third of those are children,” said Trisha Cunningham, president and CEO of the North Texas Food Bank. “The Hunger Bugs Me! book was created to engage children and help them not only understand the issue of food insecurity in their community but also show them that they can be a part of the solution.”
Since the book’s launch, Hunger Bugs Me! has received overwhelmingly positive support, with teachers, librarians, children and families recognizing the book’s important message about children facing hunger. In addition to the book, there are Downloadable Resources that accompany the book. The PDF includes a conversation guide that has some quick tips to help adults talk to children about the issue of hunger.
Written by Jeremy Gregg and illustrated by Arlene Soto, the book was made possible thanks to the generosity of the Richard and Mary Templeton Foundation. Hunger Bugs Me! is a charming story about friendship and compassion written with the goal of enabling a conversation about the issue of hunger; making it easy for children to understand this complex problem.
Distribution of the books to the 785 schools located in 106 school districts was made possible through a generous $100,000 donation from Atmos Energy. In partnership with hundreds of organizations, Atmos Energy’s Fueling Safe and Thriving Communities outreach benefits school districts, nonprofits, after-school programs and food banks through everything from backpacks and laptops to nutritious breakfasts to books that help early childhood learners.
“Atmos Energy has been a long-standing supporter of the North Texas Food Bank and helping to fund the distribution of the Hunger Bugs Me! book was a natural collaboration as it supports our goals of addressing food insecurity as well as education in the communities that we serve,” said Kelly Bielger, Atmos Energy vice president of public affairs. “We are pleased to partner with the North Texas Food Bank in distributing this book to elementary schools across North Texas.”
Hunger Bugs Me! is available for purchase on the NTFB website for $30. Proceeds from each book benefit the North Texas Food Bank and provide 90 meals to North Texans facing hunger.