Hunger in Texas

Meals on Wheels Central Texas has gained 1,500 new clients since the start of the pandemic. The organization needs more volunteers to keep up with demand as it transitions back to daily meal deliveries.

A new report from hunger relief group MAZON says military families are relying more on food banks and emergency aid to get by during the pandemic. Some spouses have lost their jobs or had their hours cut, putting more pressure on their already tight household budgets. That’s especially problematic for lower enlisted troops.

The P-EBT program was "the best program" to help poor children through the pandemic. But a series of delays have seen no assistance arrive more than halfway through the school year.

As the coronavirus pandemic drags on, more Americans are finding themselves in need of financial assistance. Food banks are feeling the pinch. And many of them say they can't keep up with demand.

Gregorio Palomino may have misled the U.S. Department of Agriculture in initial communications to obtain a $39.1 million contract for his company CRE8AD8, as part of the agency’s signature hunger-relief program. That’s according to USDA documents TPR obtained Wednesday.

An explanation of why Texas Public Radio sued the USDA over public records.

The sheer scale of the other economic damage of the pandemic has led some to call for equally large-scale reforms. For instance, Universal Basic Income. Paul calls in San Antonio Express News financial columnist Michael Taylor to break down the pros and cons of Universal Basic Income. Small-scale studies show that providing cash directly to people impacted by disasters is efficient and effective. But critics of Alaska's long-running Permanent Fund Dividend, America's largest experiment in UBI, will attest to the unforeseen political challenge of balancing a state's budget around an annual cash giveaway. The permanent fund is the closest thing to UBI America has tried, and its been going on for nearly 40 years.

In the first episode of the Shakeout, a podcast about the economic fallout of the pandemic, Paul Flahive tells the stories of Texans waiting in line at food bank events throughout the summer in San Antonio, where more than 10,000 cars lined up for a single food drive in April. One woman brings the food back to her apartment parking lot to share with her neighbors. A hairstylist worries about feeding family members who moved in with her. A young father turns to the food bank to feed his sons after the pandemic forced him to quit his job.

In the first episode of "The Shakeout" we explore the effects the COVID-19 pandemic has had on hunger in Texas.

A new survey out from the U.S. Census has experts scratching their heads. The first new Household Pulse Survey in more than a month was expected to show…