Write a new simple attractive title based on the title from Everett: Addressing structural hunger requires sustained, non-partisan collaboration and dont use quote marks

By Dayna Reyes, Reporter

WESLACO, Texas — Addressing a room of local officials, community leaders, and advocates at South Texas College’s Mid-Valley campus, Dr. Jeremy Everett delivered a stark reminder of the moral and systemic imperatives surrounding food insecurity during the “Hunger in the RGV: A Call to Action” forum.

Everett, the founder and executive director of the Baylor Collaborative on Hunger and Poverty, grounded his keynote address in both scriptural mandates and decades of firsthand field observations across Texas and the nation. Co-hosted by the Office of Hidalgo County Judge Richard F. Cortez, Bread for the World, and South Texas College, the summit convened regional stakeholders to confront persistent economic hardship and hunger across the Rio Grande Valley.

During his opening remarks, Everett pointed to the Valley’s long-standing track record of developing pragmatic solutions to combat poverty, noting that national child nutrition strategies—such as universal breakfast in the classroom and emergency rural meal delivery programs—originated from local innovations tested along the South Texas border.

“Because of your leadership and because of your innovation, I cannot tell you how many programs to serve children and adults who are living in impoverished households… have been innovated here in the RGV and exported all across the United States,” Everett said.

Moral Foundations and Field Realities

Tracing the cross-cultural consensus on hunger, Everett cited Islamic, Jewish, and Christian traditions, quoting extensively from Matthew 25 to emphasize that baseline human needs transcend political and ideological divisions. Drawing from his 18 years leading the Baylor Collaborative, as well as two decades living in low-income neighborhoods, he reflected on advice given to him by the late Peruvian theologian Gustavo Gutiérrez: “Commit your life to their cause.”

Everett detailed his service on the bi-partisan National Commission on Hunger from 2014 to 2016, a congressionally appointed 10-member body tasked with formulating policy recommendations for the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Congress. Recalling field hearings held throughout the Southwest, Everett recounted listening to senior citizens in El Paso who struggled to secure basic staples despite decades of residence and service to the nation.

He also referenced testimony presented to the commission by Dr. Joseph Sharkey, a professor at the Texas A&M Health Science Center School of Public Health whose research focuses extensively on rural colonias in the Rio Grande Valley. Everett described field reports from local promotoras (community health workers) who documented families keeping empty chicken bones in refrigerators so returning schoolchildren would perceive the presence of food.

“Surely we can do better than this,” Everett told the audience.

A Call for Cross-Sector Collaboration

In closing, Everett emphasized that addressing structural hunger requires sustained, non-partisan collaboration among municipal governments, educational institutions, faith communities, and regional non-profits. He acknowledged local leaders in attendance, including Hidalgo County Judge Richard F. Cortez, STC leadership, and long-time regional advocate Dr. Elaine Hernandez, who previously directed the Baylor Collaborative’s South Texas operations.

Everett challenged participants to resist political polarization and focus on actionable public policy and economic opportunities for Valley families.

“I am assuming that you are willing to sit together at the table with all people, regardless of ideological division, in order to cultivate trust, to put our nation on a path towards economic opportunity, and to ensure that no one goes hungry,” Everett said.