Houston Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Association Donates 3 Million Pounds of Produce to Food Bank

The Houston Food Bank received a gift that will help them fill pantries with nutritious foods to warm the hearts of neighbors in need. At the 30th annual Gift of Produce event, the Houston Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Association (HFFVA) presented the Food Bank with 3 million pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables for immediate distribution to the Food Bank’s 600 partner agencies serving 18 southeast Texas counties.

This amount is equivalent to more than 12 million servings of fruits and vegetables for those in need of food assistance, which is enough produce to meet the daily nutritional requirement of five servings per day for the entire city of Houston, all 2.2 million residents.

Each year, the Houston Food Bank receives a generous "Gift of Produce" from HFFVA, a nationally recognized professional organization with a membership of firms and individuals in the produce industry, including retailers, wholesalers, growers and shippers.  Since the inception of the event in 1988, the gift has grown from a yield of 100,000 pounds of produce in the first year to many times that amount. In total, including this year's gift, the event has brought in more than 35.15 million pounds of produce.

The gift is made possible through a partnership between the HFFVA and its generous suppliers and shippers across the country, and underscores the HFFVA’s strong, year-round commitment to the Food Bank and its fight against hunger and for improved nutrition.

“Houston Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Association was established more than 71 years ago with a mission to promote the consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables, and this goal aligns with the Houston Food Bank’s mission to not just provide food to people in need of food assistance, but to provide as many nutritious meals as possible,” says Danielle O’Leary of Mountain King, president of HFFVA. 

“In our work with retailers across the city, we don’t always have first-hand contact with people in our community who need help feeding their families. The Gift of Produce is our way of helping these neighbors,” adds O’Leary. “We are proud to partner with Houston Food Bank to fight hunger in our community with good nutrition, and I am proud of the work of our organization and its members.”

It is common for families to stretch their limited food budgets by purchasing foods with lower prices and lower nutritional value. According to USDA figures, Texas has a food insecurity rate (18 percent) that is above the U.S. average. Food insecurity means that people can’t be certain they’ll have access to enough food to maintain a healthy, active lifestyle.

“Nutritious foods shouldn’t be a luxury, but for many they are,” says Brian Greene, president/CEO of Houston Food Bank. “This is where Gift of Produce and the support of the Houston Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Association throughout the year is invaluable. Houston Food Bank has a national reputation among its peers in hunger relief for putting strong emphasis on the distribution of healthy foods, particularly produce, and this is due in large part to the support we receive from Houston Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Association. We are proud to say that we are a national leader among food banks in the distribution of fresh produce.”

The event also included two special guest speakers, Commissioner Sid Miller of the Texas Department of Agriculture, and Pierce Bush, grandson of President George H.W. Bush. Bush, CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters Lone Star, attended as representative of his grandfather, who has a unique history with the Gift of Produce and played an important role in bringing attention to the event. 

In 1990 during a news conference, President Bush commented to some journalists, “I do not like broccoli. I haven’t liked it since I was a little kid and my mother made me eat it.  And I’m President of the United States and I’m not going to eat any more broccoli.” This led to a press conference on the White House lawn with representatives of broccoli growers and also gave the Houston Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Association an idea to invite the President to speak at the event that year, which he graciously did. Pierce Bush read a special letter from President Bush congratulating HFFVA for their gift this year and for the past 29 years.

In addition to the generous Gift of Produce each holiday season, the Food Bank receives an average of 100,000 pounds of fruits and vegetables each week from the Association’s members.

In honor of the gift, Friday, Dec. 16, 2016 was declared “Gift of Produce Day” in Harris County, Texas by Harris County Judge Ed Emmett.