Organized in 1989, the South Texas Food Bank is a member of Americas Second Harvest, the Nations Food Bank Network, as a subsidiary distribution organization (SDO) of the Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley. Through these affiliates it is able to network with the major manufacturers and distributors in the country.

The South Texas Food Bank is the only USDA commodities distributor in the seven counties of Webb, Zapata, Dimmit, Maverick, Jim Hogg, Val Verde and Kinney, through a contract with the Texas Department of Health and Human Service. This 12,636 square mile area has a population of 355,596 of which over 106,109 or 33.4% live at or below poverty level.