The Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley says demand has gone up as families struggle to put food on the table while kids are out of school.

Food bank CEO Libby Saenz says the food bank helped 202,402 people over the last three months, which she said is an 18% increase compared to the same time last year. 

“We always think about how the kids are out of school, so we want to make sure that our parents have that extra food and nutrition in their homes,” Saenz said. “We've noticed that we are getting a lot more families in, a lot more people coming in throughout the whole month. This month it's been really heavy.”

This month's distribution is also helping families recover from recent flooding across the Valley. Each household receives about 130 pounds of food, including produce, protein, milk, butter and watermelon.

For Michelle Juarez, an Alamo resident with a family of four, summer means more than hotter days. It means figuring out how to keep her family fed.

"We come out once a month whenever they do the distributions," Juarez said.

She and her mother say making ends meet gets even harder when school is out. In the past, Juarez has relied on free summer meal programs to help feed her children.

Her mother, Cathy Juarez, had a message for others who may be hesitant to ask for help.

"Don't be embarrassed. Don't be embarrassed to get the help. I mean that's what it's for," Cathy Juarez said.

Michelle Juarez says she will keep coming to the food bank for as long as her family needs it.

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