CBS 7 Midland/Odessa- Special Report: The Face of Hunger in West Texas

Shelley Childers
schilders@cbs7.com
CBS 7 News
November 25, 2011

Midland, TX - There are thousands of West Texans who struggle everyday to put food on the table, but what’s more concerning is the face behind those numbers.

The Breaking Bread soup kitchen in Midland is hustling and bustling on any given night during the week, serving up to 125 people an evening.

"We pretty much come everyday. It helps out a lot for people that are low income like myself and for us that don’t have much," said Sheila Rodriguez.

Rodriguez comes to the soup kitchen with her three children daily. In fact more and more of the clients coming into the kitchen are children like her son Rudy.

"I’ve got a hamburger and some corn, and lettuce and my chips," said 11-year-old Rudy Rodriguez as he sat down to his meal.

"Because of the vibrant economy, it’s kind of a venire and it covers what’s happening with the other families," explained Augie Fernandes, Executive Director of the West Texas Food Bank.

“You know a lot of folks like to stereotype folks that we serve, and the stereotype’s wrong."

The West Texas Food Bank supplies soup kitchens like Breaking Bread. Fernandes explains the majority of their clients are just working class families struggling to get by.

"The bread earner wakes up in the morning and goes to a job, but is not paid at the level that others are paid... and trying to make ends meet."

During the meal we also meet Donnell Allen a single father of two young boys.

"I work for a living, but it’s not enough coming in. They’re growing, my two boys are growing and I have responsibilities to take care of, got daycare, got after school care, got clothes to put on them."

Donnell works for the City of Midland, digging ditches for the Water and Sewer Department.

Even with a second job at JC Penny’s selling shoes, he says it’s just not enough, and this soup kitchen keeps his small family going.

"Right now it’s very important, sometimes if I’m working late they’ll let us come by and take it to go."

"For a family that’s faced with food insecurity especially if they have children, there’s a high level of anxiety, a high level of anxiety when you open up the refrigerator and you’re looking at what food you have left," Fernandes said.

"It’s hard, it’s a struggle, and I cry a lot because I feel like I should be able to do more for my kids, and it hurts," Sheila said.

While children pile into the soup kitchen, it’s hard not to notice the elderly also sitting next to them.

"They’re living on a social security benefit and everything else is going up. They shouldn’t have to make choices between do I take my prescription drug or do I eat a meal?" Fernandes said.

"They work their whole life, perhaps they weren’t blessed with the ability to put money aside."

Food insecurity knows no particular race, gender or ethnicity, but there is a growing trend of clients; children and elderly.

"One of the things I always said is my goal is to go out of business, wouldn’t it be great if food banks weren’t needed more in America? The reality is that they’re needed more now than ever."

That’s why the West Texas Food Bank and the Breaking Bread Kitchen will have to stay open, for hard working fathers like Donnell, "It doesn’t hurt my feelings, it makes me feel good that God’s opened up doors for these occasions, for reasons."

And for growing boys like Rudy who says he wants to grow up to be a fence builder just like his dad.

"My daddy always says you’re rich in love, that’s what my dad says."

"Poverty is always going to be with us, and there’s no shame that there may be poverty in your community, they only shame a community has is if they’re not doing something about it."

Six counties right here in West Texas have food insecure rates higher than the state average, which is 17.8 percent.

Presidio – 27 %
Reeves – 23%
Crane – 19.7 %
Winkler – 19.3 %
Howard – 18.4 %
Pecos – 18.3 %

There is a way to help the West Texas Food Bank feed thousands in our area.

While food is always appreciated they say cash donations are best because they can leverage cash and bring in more food at wholesale prices.

$.95 of every dollar donated goes directly to feeding local families in need.

Just $1.00 can provide four meals for someone who desperately needs the food.

To donate call the food bank at (432) 580-6333 or click here to visit their website.