Houston Food Bank Donations: ABC13’s Share Your Holidays to help tackle food insecurity with goal of creating over 1 million meals

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — As the federal government shutdown continues, it has created uncertainty and delays for families who depend on federal paychecks and nutrition benefits like SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program).

That’s why ABC13 is spreading the word earlier this year about our annual Share Your Holidays food drive, which benefits the Houston Food Bank.

Even before the drive approaches, the Houston Food Bank has stepped in to help make sure impacted families don’t miss a meal.

According to the food bank, as of Oct. 24, more than 50,000 federal employees in its service area missed their first full paycheck. Each day that the government remains closed past Oct. 27, 15,000 households are impacted in the service area, the food bank adds.

If your SNAP benefits or pay have been interrupted, you can find food distribution sites through the food bank here.

There are also easy ways to help our neighbors if you’re in a position to do so.

Ways to Give

– Text “SYH2025” to 71777
– Scan the QR code seen on-air during Share Your Holidays stories
– Visit the 2025 SYH fundraising page online

How can I help during Share Your Holidays?

What started as an idea to put a food drive on TV for an hour has morphed into a Houston-area wide event going strong 45 years later as the ABC13 Share Your Holidays Food Drive.

Since 1980, the year the drive launched at ABC13, millions upon millions of cans of food have been collected through Share Your Holidays.

So, no matter what happens next, Share Your Holidays will continue with its same mission to serve.

You can watch our 2024 ABC13 Share Your Holidays Drive in the video player.

Houston Oilers superstar Earl Campbell and teammate Tim Wilson were so moved by the occasion, they arrived at the station with bags of groceries.

Both men spent the day with ABC13 personally thanking donors as they dropped off food, and what was supposed to last an hour turned into a daylong event.

That spirit of generosity in southeast Texas continues.

This year, join Eyewitness News all day long from 6 a.m. – 6 p.m. on Giving Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025. You can watch our one hour live special on ABC13 and wherever you stream us on that day from 9-10 a.m.

Once again, it’s about foodraising and fundraising.

Remember, every $1 you give helps provide three meals for people in need.

All donations stay in our local communities, helping the Houston Food Bank serve our neighbors in 18 counties through their 1,600 community partners.

The foodraising, often the most fun part, happens through dropping off donations at any one of our eight drive-thru locations listed below

Drop-Off Locations (Hours Vary)

Houston

Houston Food Bank – Portwall
535 Portwall St. Houston, TX 77029
Hours: 6 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Baytown

Baytown Fire and Rescue
4723 Garth Rd. Baytown, Texas 77521-2137
Hours: 7 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Galveston

Galveston ISD Ball HS
4115 Avenue O Galveston, Texas 77550
Hours: 8 a.m. – Noon

Spring

Spring Ismaili Jamatkhana
24525 Community Center Dr. Spring, TX 77389
Hours: 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Richmond/Rosenberg

VFW Hall Post 3903
1903 1st St., Rosenberg, Texas 77471
Hours: 6 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Katy

Harris Co. ESD No. 48
24127 Western Centre Dr. Katy, Texas 77494
Hours: 8 a.m. – Noon

Sugar Land

Sugar Land Ismaili and Jamatkhana Center
1700 First Colony Boulevard Sugar Land, Texas 77479
Hours: 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Pearland

Pearland Neighborhood Center
2335 N Texas Ave, Pearland, TX77581
Hours: 8 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Most-needed Items

You can find a full list on the Houston Food Bank website.

Shelf-Stable Snacks:

Granola bars
Crackers
Trail mix
Nuts
Dried fruits

Canned goods (Low sodium, pull top preferred):

Meats
Fruits
Vegetables
Pastas
Beans
Soups

Drinks:

Water
Sports drinks
Shelf-stable milk
Shelf-stable juice (low sugar)

What does food insecurity look like through Houston and in Texas?

Around one million people in southeast Texas are food insecure, meaning they lack consistent access to enough nutritious food to fuel a healthy lifestyle, according to the Houston Food Bank.

An FY ’24 report from the food bank also notes that 1 in 5 people in its service area is food insecure and that can mean having to make difficult choices such as skipping meals to pay bills or not going to medical appointments.

In addition, food insecurity can have many faces.

According to the report, 85% of food insecure homes have a working adult. Seventy-two percent of the people the food bank serves are homeowners.

An Aug. 18, 2025, report released by the Kinder Institute for Urban Research’s Center for Community and Public Health shows more than half of residents experience moderate or high food insecurity in much of northern Harris County, including 80% in the Greenspoint and IAH area.

Kinder’s report found that 39% of Houston and Harris County households are food insecure, significantly exceeding the national average of 14%. Other key findings in Kinder’s report were that household food insecurity is highest among Black (53%) and Hispanic (47%) residents, as well as households earning less than $35,000 annually (59%).

Hispanic women endure the largest gender gap in household food insecurity, the Kinder Institute said.

The situation is just as serious statewide.

Feeding Texas, a member of Feeding America, says that Texas has the highest food insecurity population in the nation, with 5.3 million Texans facing food insecurity.

Feeding Texas is a statewide network of food banks and the largest hunger-relief network in the Lone Star State.

Texas has the highest rate of senior food insecurity in the nation with 13.6% of Texas seniors at risk for hunger, while 22.2%, or 1 in 5 Texas children, experience hunger, according to Feeding Texas.

Rural Texans also often face higher rates of food insecurity due to the unique challenges of living remotely such as lack of transportation, low wages and underemployment.

Feeding Texas also reports that one in four Latinos are experiencing food insecurity. The overall food insecurity rate for Latinos in Texas is 24%.

With the need only continuing to grow, ABC13 hopes to exceed our 2013 record of 1,627,115 meals, with Share Your Holidays donations being accepted through New Year’s Eve.