Well, good morning, everyone. Thank you for for being here today for a discussion of hunger in the RGV, really a call to action. And I also want to thank the Prosperity Task Force, the Food and Security Review, and South Texas College, really for bringing us together and creating a space where we can have an honest conversation about initiatives that affects just too many of us people here in our region.
Food insecurity is one of those issues that can be easy to overlook because you don't always see it. But more than 20 percent of the people in the Rio Grande Valley experience food insecurity. That means more than one of five of our neighbors may be struggling to put food on their table. One in five.
That is not just the statistics. Behind that number is a person. It's a family. It is a child. It is a senior. It is someone sitting at their kitchen table that's trying to figure out how to make things work.
And that is why we're here today. We have a responsibility. bring attention to this issue, but more important, we have a responsibility to start talking about what are the solutions. Because food insecurity is not simply about being hungry once in a while. It is a parent skipping dinner so that their children can eat. Have you heard of that before? It is a senior having to choose between buying groceries or filling a prescription. Do you know someone like that? It is a family that wants to provide healthy food for their children, but does not have enough money to do so.
And sometimes it's something of a transportation problem. If you don't have a car, and there is no bus route to the nearest grocery store and that grocery store is miles away, access to food then becomes a serious challenge. Transportation is one of our service issues in this region. In parts of our region, hunger and transportation can be the same problem under two different names.
These are not abstract problems. These are real challenges facing our families right here in the Rio Grande Valley. And we can not solve this problem if we refuse to see it. There are policies in place to help families who are struggling. Those programs are important, but we're also seeing changes to some of the programs and tighter requirements and restrictions. You have heard of those, haven’t you?
When this assistance becomes harder to access, families who are struggling have to find another way to put food on the table. That is why we need to understand what is happening in our region. We need to look at the data. We need to understand where the greatest needs are, and we need to make sure people are connected with every resource that is available.
But I also want to be clear about something: government alone cannot solve this problem. Government has an important role, but this is a community issue. Our food banks have a role. Our nonprofits have a role. Our schools, our businesses, our churches, and other faith-based organizations have a role.
So we have to ask ourselves, what can I do? What can my organization do? What can our community do? Because we don't have to wait for someone else to solve this problem. We can begin here right here today. Today we have an opportunity to look at the data, discuss the policies that affect food insecurity, identify where the greatest needs are, and talk about practical ways our communities can respond.
So today, I challenge all of you to do more than simply talk about hunger. Let's listen to the people who are experiencing food insecurity. Let's examine the policies and systems that are not working. Let's strengthen the programs that are making a difference. And let's find new ways to work together.
Hunger in the RGV is a Call for Action. And for our action begins with recognizing that this is not somebody else's problem. These are our neighbors, our families, and our community. So thank you for being here. Thank you for caring. And most important, thank you for willing to be the part of the solution.
Editor's Note: The above remarks were delivered by Hidalgo County Judge Richard Cortez at a forum his office hosted titled "Hunger in the RGV: A Call to Action." It was held in conjunction with Bread for the World and Soutb Texas College and held at STC's Mid-Valley Campus in Weslaco on September 3, 2026.
