HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — There are neighborhoods in Houston where more families struggle to put food on the table than others. According to a recent study by Rice University’s Kinder Institute, 80% of households in the Greenspoint and IAH neighborhoods struggle with food insecurity. But what exactly does that look like for families living in that reality? ABC13 spoke with Nakisha Daniels, a pregnant mother who relies on outside help to feed herself and her 7-year-old daughter. She regularly attends food pantries to fill their fridge. “I do work,” Daniels said. “But that money is still not, you know, it’s still not feasible to get what I need.” Daniels said she tries to make her food last as long as possible. “When you got to freeze your food, that’s when you know it’s hard. When you have to proportion out and tell a child you can’t have this and you only can have this portion, that’s when it’s hard,” Daniels said. Luz Garcini, with the Kinder Institute for Urban Research, said their recent study found more than half of Black and Hispanic women in Houston and Harris County reported living in food-insecure households. “We are talking about families who have jobs and who are employed and still report high rates of food insecurity,” Garcini said. “Their jobs are not enough to put food on the table.” Garcini said the food insecurity rate in Houston is more than 39%, nearly double the national average. Daniels is grateful for the programs she can lean on during these times. Each piece of food brings her family peace of mind. “It’s like survive right now,” Daniels said. “Like survival is the key right now.”.
https://abc13.com/post/survival-is-key-houston-mother-describes-challenges-living-food-insecurity/18204787/
“Survival is the key,” Houston mother describes challenges living in food insecurity
