Some places don't have access to that, and let's face it: access to social programs in the US, what few there are, is usually very difficult, especially in places like Texas. And as wealth inequality has worsened over the decades, we're now seeing a rise of cases from families who've never even remotely been concerned with these kinds of things for literally several generations who are now in dire straits for the very first time and don't know what to do! They just don't know what options are out there, and combined with the way our culture is in the US, are unlikely to ask for help ("sign of weakness"), especially if they don't have very close friends/family in the area who are "safe" people for that sort of thing.

I predict we'll see a lot more stories like these, and worse, coming out of the US in the coming months and years. Not nearly enough is being done to address the underlying problems, and it's got to be a problem of cataclysmic proportions before Congress will even consider a 5-minute discussion over lunch, let alone draft a bill with any real teeth (regardless of party).

(not the person you're replying to)

There is no soup kitchen here. There is one food bank, which is only open once a month for a couple of hours. I haven't been, so cannot say whether they attempt to provide a month's worth of food or not.

The last food bank I went to operated twice a week and attempted to provide a week's worth of calories in pre-sorted bags of goods. Recipients were limited to 2x/mo. Obtaining a larger bag (e.g. for a family) required providing official state-issued photo ID for any and all additional recipients, which was then logged and counted as part of each individual's 2x/mo limit.