The Baylor Collaborative on Hunger and Poverty
The Baylor Collaborative on Hunger and Poverty: Health Solid Gold Neighbor
Holly Webb, Office and Projects Manager
On any given day – matters of poverty and hunger are complex. Tackling these issues during a global pandemic can prove even more challenging, as economic circumstances and school closures change the way many access meals. Despite these unprecedented circumstances, The Baylor Collaborative on Hunger and Poverty remains committed to tackling these issues head-on. By combining research and expertise with programs, the Baylor Collaborative is doing what they do best – ensuring access to nutrition for communities most in need.Through an innovative partnership with the USDA, PepsiCo, and McLane Global, meal boxes will be distributed nationally to children most at risk, available on an emergency basis, while also being routinely available during the summer. These boxes, in compliance with the USDA’s nutrition-requirements, are sustainable for up to five days. By implementing the program, known as Meals-to-You, exposure to COVID-19 will be limited and those in rural communities will have these nutritional resources critical to health and wellbeing, thanks to generous grant funding.
Beyond Meals-to-You, to provide assistance during the pandemic, the Baylor Collaborative has poured efforts into virtual resources, not only launching mealstoyou.org, but positioning their website, baylor.edu/hungerandpoverty, as a hub for resources on finding food, information, and ways to volunteer. For these efforts, community partnerships are key. Online, these partners are searchable through a comprehensive spreadsheet, where information can be filtered by the following categories: senior food resources, child community food resources and emergency food resources, and contacted information for groups such as Meals on Wheels, Caritas, and other food banks and community centers can be easily accessed. Their website also lists helpful tips for food distributors – how to stay safe and keep others safe through preventative measures and food-handling best practices.
Beyond pandemic response, the Baylor Collaborative on Hunger and Poverty supports communities by linking arms within them – workers operate from field offices across Texas. These offices ensure local collaboration wherever planted, providing a united front in the fight against food insecurity, and provide flexibility and agility when crisis response becomes necessary.
If you would like to support the work of the Baylor Collaborative on Hunger and Poverty, consider making a gift today to continue the fight against food insecurity. To access the Meals-to-You program go to mealstoyou.org.