How Nonprofit Tango Charities Fights To Feed Families

By Nia Armstrong

Reporting Texas

Volunteers pose for a picture after making 602 meals at Feed The City Austin. Nia Armstrong/Reporting Texas.

South Austin Beer Garden is a popular venue bustling at night, but it might surprise you to know that by morning, volunteers come together to fight food insecurity in Austin.

Every fourth Saturday, hunger-based food organization Tango Charities hosts its Feed The City Austin event. Volunteers bring supplies including lunch meat, cheese, bread and tangerines, gather at a local venue and work together to pack at least 600 meals for those in need.

In Texas, 1 in 6 households are experiencing food insecurity, meaning about 5.1 million Texans are at risk of hunger, according to Feeding Texas.

“I think a lot of times we think of hunger as something that only targets the homeless community which could really be further from the truth at this point,” said John Barrera, Feed The City Austin leader.

The events are entirely volunteer-driven, and since starting the south Austin event more than a year ago, they have consistently had about 10 to 15 volunteers and are eager to expand even more.

“The volunteers you see come in are people who are not necessarily going to soup kitchens, but they have a heart for this kind of work, and they also went out on Friday night. The difference with us, it’s just a really good time,” said Barrera.

Tango Charities hosts 32 monthly Feed The City events and since its launch in Dallas, Texas, in 2015, it has held events across five countries, 17 states and 72 cities.

“In 2024, we provided more than 640,000 meals, just through our Feed The City events alone, but I think the impact goes beyond just those numbers,” said Nick Marino Jr, Volunteer Executive Director of Tango Charities.

In April, Tango Charities will reach its 1,800th Feed The City event. Over the years they have had over 100,000 volunteers come through their doors, with 45,000 of those being under the age of 18.

“We’re firm believers that if you teach a child how to give young, you teach a child how to give for life,” Marino said.

Marino called volunteers the “middle men, women and children of hunger” as the organization partners with local food pantries like Food For All in Pflugerville, who then distribute the food among the communities.

“I very much like that this engages people within the city to volunteer their time, to get the food together, to share a community, and learn about food insecurity and how they can help out with it,” said Stacey Fletcher, executive director of Food For All.

“But if you take food, as a question, off the table for at least one day, it gives people all the more brain space to think of anything else,” she said.