Rising food insecurity — a focus for this Hunger Action Month

El Pasoans Fighting Hunger says two in five people are food insecure in the borderland — for this Hunger Action Month, they want the community to be aware of the rising issue and how they can help.

Interim CEO Kris Yagel says those numbers continue to climb. 

He says there's a misconception — they're at the frontlines of meeting the hunger crisis, but not on the front lines of reducing food insecurity.

Yagel says food insecurity is up by five points this year now at 40%, and it could be growing for various reasons like lack of access to jobs, technology, and disparity between the upper and lower class. 

According to him, the El Paso region is a food desert, with no measurable or sustainable agriculture.

They don't get food locally and the access is limited, making it hard to feed about 180,000 people in El Paso.

"There's a lot of bad actors that combine to create this effect in our region," Yagel says. "We are definitely a part of the solution, but we really need a community to come together, our community to come together and, especially business leaders and government leaders to really come up with, a comprehensive plan to fix this. Otherwise, our fears that the number will continue to increase."

Yagel says between 1,200 to 1,500 families are served every day from Tuesday through Friday.

He also says the percentage of food insecurity in El Paso is double than the national average and higher than the Texas average. 

A few years ago, he says they distributed 110 million pounds of food each year, now they're down to 50 million. 

Yagel says they distribute about 60% produce, pair it with a healthy grain, but one of their biggest challenges is getting protein, especially animal protein.

Their goal is to provide nutritious meals not just to those out of a job, but also to anyone going through tough times and having to sacrifice other basic needs.

"A lot of people that we've talked to in our line, we realize that they're just normal people going about their life and something happens and maybe a health, issue comes up or there's a job shift or something happens that they weren't expecting," says Yagel. "Then all of a sudden they have to choose between, 'Do we keep the lights on or do we pay for food this month?' They end up in our line as a bridge between where they're at, to a better situation."

Yagel says you can support them by donating on their website or volunteering.