Dear Friend,

Children in San Antonio deserve every opportunity to succeed, starting with healthy, balanced meals to help them grow.

For many, school is one of the few places to get a healthy meal. During the early days of the pandemic, San Antonio schools moved quickly to set up curbside meal pickup for students in need. But even with this help, many of our neighbors struggled to put food on the table.

In April 2020, the San Antonio Express-News published an unforgettable photo of cars lining up for help at the San Antonio Food Bank. That powerful image drove a national reckoning about hunger, and it helped us push for change on Capitol Hill. Less than a year later, I joined my colleagues to vote for a temporary expansion of the Child Tax Credit to keep millions of families out of pandemic poverty.

Now, as our economy rebuilds, I want to build a future where every family has enough to eat. As one step to help tackle child hunger, I introduced a bill to help schools open food banks for families in need. Last week, a House committee voted to advance my bill, bringing it closer to becoming law.

Like many of our nation’s best ideas, this one was born in San Antonio. In 2017, State Representative Diego Bernal passed a state-level version of the bill, which has since been rolled out in schools across Texas. I was glad to work with Rep. Bernal to draft my bill, and I hope both pieces of legislation can work in tandem to help hungry kids.

School food pantries, like this one at MacArthur High School in San Antonio, help students and families who are struggling with food insecurity.

In the wealthiest country in the world, no child should go hungry. Last month, I voted to pass the Keep Kids Fed Act, which will help schools cover rising food prices and expand school meal programs during the summer months. To learn about summer food programs operating on the ground in San Antonio, click here.

I know that many families are also worried about the formula shortage – but relief is coming. With funding and support from two bills I voted to pass earlier this year, the Biden administration has imported millions of pounds of safe baby formula bound for U.S. shelves. On July 1, Abbott Nutrition finally reopened their plant in Michigan and resumed formula production. The formula crisis has been frightening and frustrating, but it will be over soon.

In the coming months, I’ll be working on important pieces of legislation to tackle inflation, create jobs, and help San Antonio families thrive. If you have questions about my work, please reach out to my office at 210-348-8216 or send me a message by clicking here.

Sincerely,

Joaquin Castro
Member of Congress