Published on 10/29/2025
Throughout the year, and especially through the holiday season, our local food banks and drives are in need of our assistance.
The food insecurity rate in Travis County is 17.1%, compared to 15.4% nationwide. For children, it’s 24% in Travis County, compared to a national child food insecurity rate of 20.9% (Source: Feeding America).
Many families rely on school lunch and breakfast, so with school breaks coming up, it’s important to ensure these students and families have access to food distribution resources to help them have the best holiday season.
We’ve also compiled some tips from food bank volunteers online about commonly donated items and more specific items that are needed.
Tips from food bank volunteers online:
LOVE TO HAVES
- Boxed milk — a shelf stable necessity
- Canned food — just make sure they are pop tops OR consider donating can openers with your canned goods
- Fresh produce — an uncommon donation
- Tuna & crackers — shelf stable and makes a good and easy lunch
- Sandwich bread — lots of peanut butter and jelly gets donated with no bread
- Butter or margarine — can be used in recipes
- Flour or sugar — to be used for baking
- Eggs — rarely donated and used for a multitude of things
- Fresh meat — Hamburger Helper goes nowhere without ground beef
- Cake mix and frosting — could be used to make a child’s birthday cake
- Stove top stuffing — shelf stable and easy for recipes
Items you may not think to donate, but are very needed
- Cooking oils
- Salt, pepper, and other spices
- Tea bags and coffee
- Feminine hygiene products
- Dishwashing detergent
LEAVE BEHINDS
- Kraft mac & cheese — a common donation, but it needs milk and butter which is hard to get at food banks
- Pasta sauce and spaghetti — a typically donated item they’ll likely have plenty of
For further specificity, ask your local food bank what items they could be lacking - funds may be the most urgent need!
Food Banks in the Area to Donate to:
Click each food drive to read about their specific drop off locations and instructions.
- Central Texas Food Bank
- Hope Austin
- Caritas of Austin
- Hope Food Pantry Austin
- UT Outpost (University of Texas Students exclusive)
- South Austin Church Food Pantry
- Mobile Loaves & Fishes
Have a related cause or drive you’d like to see on this blog? Please DM us on Instagram @morelandproperties and we are happy to add them to this list.
