Key Takeaways
One in four children in Texas is experiencing hunger, the highest level in more than a decade, according to the North Texas Food Bank.
Nearly 800,000 people are food insecure across the food bank's 12 counties, and 291,310 of them, or 36 percent, are children.
The 13th annual peanut butter drive opens in September with a goal of 100,000 pounds and $400,000, up from roughly 85,000 pounds last year.
The North Texas Food Bank announced Wednesday that child hunger in Texas has reached its highest level in more than a decade, and opened its 13th annual peanut butter drive to meet it. The campaign runs through September, which is Hunger Action Month, and targets 100,000 pounds of peanut butter and $400,000 in donations across the food bank's 12-county service area.
The numbers underneath the campaign are the story. Texas leads the nation in hunger, with more than 6 million people unsure whether they will have food to put on the table each night, according to the food bank, citing Feeding America data released last month. In the counties it serves, nearly 800,000 people are food insecure and 291,310 of those are children.
Why Peanut Butter
It is a strange-sounding ask until the logistics make sense. Peanut butter is nutrient dense, shelf stable and kid friendly, which makes it one of the most valuable items a pantry can stock. The food bank supplies nearly 500 pantries and programs, including child feeding programs, and distributed nearly 119 million meals across North Texas last year.
"Families are doing everything they can, yet the need keeps growing," said Trisha Cunningham, the food bank's president and chief executive. Kroger returns for a fourth year as the campaign's grocery sponsor. Donors can give online, host a drive, drop 16-ounce jars at the food bank's Plano campus, or bring two jars to the State Fair of Texas on opening day, September 25, for discounted admission.
The Pattern Behind the Number
A record local number is rarely local. WYDE reported the same direction of travel when US employers cut 23,000 jobs in July as food banks posted record demand, and when Feeding America and 250 nonprofits mounted a $5 million push on childhood hunger. SNAP enrollment has fallen by roughly 5 million people since early 2025, and that demand has to land somewhere. It is landing on pantry shelves.
People Also Ask
How many children in Texas face hunger?
One in four, the highest rate in more than a decade. In the North Texas Food Bank's 12 counties, 291,310 children are food insecure.
When is the North Texas Food Bank peanut butter drive?
September 2026, during Hunger Action Month.
How much is the food bank trying to collect?
100,000 pounds of peanut butter and $400,000. Last year's drive brought in about 85,000 pounds and nearly $355,000.
How many people are food insecure in Texas?
More than 6 million statewide, the highest total in the nation, per Feeding America data released in July 2026.