About the Hunger is UNacceptable Campaign

Hunger is UNacceptable was awarded the Texas Public Relations Association's 2010 Silver Spur Award for community relations.

About the Integrated Awareness Campaign

Too many central Texans struggle to make ends meet every month, forced to make hard choices between paying rent, paying the light bill or buying groceries. These central Texans are those with jobs, the recently unemployed, older adults on fixed incomes and children.

Our goal is to engage the community in the fight against hunger with the Capital Area Food Bank through volunteerism, advocacy and financial contributions, and educate the community about hunger issues in Central Texas. The campaign comes to the community through TV, radio, social media, earned media, in-store donation barrels, print advertising, banner advertising and the www.HungerisUNacceptable.com microsite.   

 We are especially mindful of ensuring the community members featured in the campaign are treated with respect and dignity – we want only to highlight how the problem of hunger impacts more people than most might think, not just the homeless.

Our Start

In July 2009, former President & CEO David Davenport took the Food Stamps Challenge (eating on $3 a day) for one month. In the final blog post chronicling the challenge and, ultimately, David's frustration with his inability to support his nutritional needs, he declares "Hunger is unacceptable" and challenges the community to act upon that belief.

He writes:

Although many of us are hurting financially, we can not forget what these challenges are doing to the soul and foundation of Texas – the working poor. While as Texans, we enjoy boasting about our grandness and unique way of life; often, it’s the working poor that quietly, and unseen, supports that possibility.

We are all in this together.

But what does that really mean in practice? Some of our Partner Agencies are struggling with 20-30% increases in people served each month. To support these agencies, CAFB is reorganizing and reprioritizing business practices to ensure the flow of food isn’t interrupted or slowed. We’re also impressing upon the community that in good times and bad, hunger is simply unacceptable.

Let me say it again. Hunger is unacceptable.

Why such a bold statement? Because this problem requires urgent action. Take a moment to think about societal norms that we deem as unacceptable – slavery, drunk driving, child abuse, to name a few. Hunger, the inability to access food in socially acceptable ways to survive and thrive, should absolutely be in that category.

My Food Stamp Challenge this past month taught me a great deal about hunger. I now challenge you to say out loud “Hunger is unacceptable” and act on it.

And thus, a new movement was born at CAFB. The Hunger is UNacceptable campaign will inform you. It will inspire you. It will make you a powerful advocate for change.

About the Capital Area Food Bank of Texas

Now in its 30th year of service, the Capital Area Food Bank of Texas (CAFB) provides food and grocery products to more than 355 Partner Agencies across a 21-county, 19,000 square-mile service territory stretching from the western edge of Gillespie County to the east-central communities of Freestone County. In 2010, CAFB distributed more than 24 million pounds of food through CAFB Partner Agencies which assist the poor, ill, homeless, victims of crisis, children, and the elderly, as well as families impacted by recent economic hardship. This food is not only distributed through CAFB's network of 355 Partner Agencies, but also through targeted programs serving those most vulnerable in our community. In addition to food distribution, CAFB provides one-on-one SNAP (food stamp) application assistance to families and individuals, and promotes healthy eating habits and physically active lifestyles among Partner Agency clients through the CHOICES Nutrition Education program.

Learn more about how we help, how you can help and how to get help.