In 1981, the vision for the Capital Area Food Bank emerged out of a small group of concerned Austinites from the United Urban Council (the predecessor of today’s Interfaith Action of Central Texas) and individuals from several communities.
They recognized the need for emergency food assistance as well as the availability of surplus food from various food companies and grocery stores that might otherwise go to waste. In 1982, when the Capital Area Food Bank was incorporated, we were the second food bank in Texas. The landscape of food banking, and the Austin area, have changed a lot since.
In 1982, the Food Bank recovered, stored and distributed fewer than 330,000 pounds of food. Last year, we distributed more than 100 times that amount. A remarkable 34 million pounds of food left our warehouse and went into the hands of our most at-risk neighbors.
The Food Bank grew from serving the Austin area to serving a 21 county service territory twice the size of Massachusetts, home to roughly 477,000 children, seniors and adults at risk of hunger. It’s important to us as we continue to grow that our name reflects the entirety of our service territory.
Starting in June we will be known as the Central Texas Food Bank. This name tells our community that we are committed to providing nourishing food to everyone in need from San Saba to Fairfield, and from Waco to Luling.
Our reach is not all that has changed. The eighties saw major growth in the food banking industry, and by the close of the decade most major cities had a food bank. Texas went from having just two food banks to 21. That’s when the focus shifted from simply growing distribution to improving programs and services. We have seen a tremendous increase in the amount of fresh produce rescued and distributed, and our goal is for half of all food that leaves our doors to be fresh. While we still need shelf stable items, what clients increasingly ask for, and what our communities need, are fresh fruits and vegetables and high quality protein.
You will see this represented with our new logo, a carrot. The carrot represents the nutritious, fresh produce that now makes up over a third of the food we distribute. The arrows that make up the carrot greens represent our 21 county distribution network.
We hope our new brand better tells the story of the work we are doing in our community, and that all of our donors, partners and clients are excited to see the big changes coming their way.
