More than 1.4 million residents in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex are facing hunger, prompting the Tarrant Area Food Bank to add $1 million to its 2027 budget to buffer against possible federal funding reductions. President and CEO Julie Butner announced the financial adjustment on Tuesday during a press conference at the organization’s distribution center.
The budget increase aims to bridge the gap between supply and demand as economic pressures mount. According to Butner, the region’s population has grown by 8% since 2020, while food insecurity among residents has climbed by 32%. She attributed this surge not only to demographic shifts but also to record-high costs for groceries and gasoline, which create severe hardships for low-income families.
Butner presented data from the Feeding America Map Meal Gap Study during the event, which identifies Texas as having the highest level of food insecurity in the United States. The study confirms that 1.4 million people in the DFW area do not know where their next meal will come from.
Butner described the rising number of children experiencing hunger as alarming and noted that hunger levels remain unacceptably high across North Texas.
To address these challenges, the food bank is implementing community-based solutions such as the Ready To Learn Program, which places food markets directly in schools for families and students. The organization also provides enrollment assistance for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), a federal initiative that helps low-income households purchase food. SNAP has historically operated on a 50/50 cost-sharing model between federal and state governments.
However, Butner warned that proposed legislation under President Donald Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill could reduce the federal share of SNAP funding to 25%. She stated that Texas is not prepared to cover this shortfall and is calling for a two-year delay in implementation.
Approximately 30% of the food bank’s funding originates from the federal government through the Farm Bill, which supports 16 nutrition programs and provides relief to farmers and ranchers.
