Nourishing a Healthier Hill Country: The Importance of Access to Nutritious Food
September is Hunger Action Month, an opportunity to raise awareness about food security and the role communities can play in helping ensure people have access to nutritious food.
Reliable access to nutritious food helps children grow and learn, adults maintain their health, and older adults continue to live well and independently. When healthy food is difficult to afford or access, the effects can reach far beyond the dinner table.
Food Security Is a Health Issue
Food security became a strategic funding priority for Create Healthy in 2026 after the 2025 Community Health Needs Assessment and conversations at the Community Health Summit that identified access to healthy food as an important factor in the long-term health of Hill Country residents.
Access to nutritious food can be complicated by long distances to grocery stores and food assistance programs, limited transportation, rising household costs, and other barriers. A family may have food available for one week and experience difficulties the next week. An older adult may be unable to get to a grocery store. Parents may find themselves balancing the cost of nutritious food with housing, utilities, childcare, and other necessities.
“Access to nutritious food is a foundation for good health,” said Jayne Pope, RN, MBA, FACHE, president and CEO of Create Healthy. “Food security means children have what they need to grow and learn, families can put healthy meals on the table consistently, and older adults can maintain their health and independence. Because those needs look different across the Hill Country, strong local organizations are essential to reaching people where they are.”
Investing in Local Solutions
To date, Create Healthy has contributed $185,000 to food security initiatives. In Comfort, Create Healthy awarded $100,000 to support the construction of the Comfort Table and Food Pantry and $50,000 to Hill Country Daily Bread Ministries to support food security for individuals and families in Comfort and Gillespie County.
Create Healthy also provided $20,000 to the Family Resource Network of Mason for its Feeding Babies Initiative and $15,000 to Johnson City Christian Food Pantry to help keep pantry shelves stocked for Blanco County residents.
Each organization provides an important piece of a larger community response. Together, their work helps make nutritious food and other resources more accessible to neighbors throughout the region.
“By listening to our communities and investing in local partners who understand the needs of their neighbors, we can help build stronger systems that support health not just for one meal or one month, but for years to come,” said Pope.
Connecting Hill Country Residents with Help
For someone experiencing food insecurity, knowing where to turn can be just as important as having services available.
HillCountryResources.org connects Hill Country residents with local assistance for food, shelter, family support, mental health, and other needs. The free, anonymous directory is available in both English and Spanish and is designed to make finding local support easier.
During Hunger Action Month and throughout the year, residents who need assistance can visit HillCountryResources.org to explore resources available in their communities.
