In the News ... "Pioneer Natural Resources pledges $1 million to West Texas Food Bank'"

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• Commitment from Pioneer is helping the nonprofit mark Hunger Action Month in September

Staff Report
• Odessa American

MIDLAND/ODESSA TEXAS - One of Texas’ largest oil and natural gas producers is pledging $1 million to the West Texas Food Bank to help fund school pantries throughout the Permian Basin.

The five-year commitment from Pioneer Natural Resources, whose operations are based in Midland, is helping the nonprofit mark Hunger Action Month in September. The gift will benefit dozens of K-12 schools across seven counties in the region.

“One of the cornerstones of Pioneer Natural Resources is its longtime commitment to giving back to the communities where its employees work and live, and our pledge to the West Texas Food Bank fulfills that critical mission of serving others,” Pioneer President and Chief Operating Officer Rich Dealy said in a news release. “As we mark Hunger Action Month in September and many students return to the classroom, it’s heartening to know that this gift from our Pioneer family will help the food bank keep school pantries throughout the Permian Basin stocked so that no child has to go hungry.”

As parents send their kids back to school after the summer break, many families depend on the food served at their child’s school to supply a nutritious meal. And for children from lower-income homes, it might represent the most food they’ll eat all day. Numerous studies have shown that children suffering from chronic hunger experience numerous obstacles in the classroom, including the inability to focus on schoolwork, excessive absences due to illnesses and learning disabilities, among other impairments. Roughly 1 in 6 kids experience hunger in America, and nearly 60 percent of children from lower-income families say they’ve come to school hungry, according to statistics from No Kid Hungry, a national campaign dedicated to ending childhood hunger in America, the release said.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that more than 38 million people in the U.S. – including 12 million children – are food insecure, defined as a lack of consistent access to enough food for every person in a household to live an active, healthy life. Millions of Americans were also affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw unemployment rates skyrocket and more families turning to local food banks to help make ends meet.

“This is the month to spread the word and take action on the hunger crisis and dedicate ourselves to the solution, and Pioneer Natural Resources is committed to joining the fight to help end hunger in West Texas,” Libby Campbell, executive director of the West Texas Food Bank, which has forged a longtime community partnership with the company, said in the news release. “We realize that hungry children cannot learn, and Pioneer’s $1 million commitment will help fund school pantries across the Permian Basin.”

Since its founding in 1997, Pioneer has established itself as a state and regional leader in oil and gas exploration, industry innovation and production. Throughout its growth in Texas as a large independent energy company, among its enduring missions has been a deep devotion to philanthropy and volunteerism.

“Pioneer’s $1 million pledge to the West Texas Food Bank aligns with our strategy of giving back to the Permian community in which we live and work,” Daniel Pender, Pioneer’s surface and land business development director, said in the news release ...

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