With food insecurity rising across North Texas, Fort Worth ISD and the North Texas Food Bank are stepping in to feed children during the upcoming holiday breaks.
Here's where you can find food assistance ahead of the holidays:
FWISD Holiday Meal Program
Fort Worth ISD Child Nutrition Services is launching a holiday meal program to ensure students have access to food during the Thanksgiving break, a period where many families lose access to hot, fresh meals provided at school.
“We just felt that it was a need in our district," said Pamela Watson, director of Child Nutrition Services. “Due to the recent changes in SNAP benefits and the increased amount of hunger in kids, especially in Texas, it was just the right thing to do to provide meals for our students even while they're out on break.”
The program is solely funded through the USDA’s Child and Adult Care Food Program which allows school districts to provide food during extended breaks like Thanksgiving and the summer.
Food insecurity in North Texas has reached its highest point in years — a trend largely impacting children, according to Feeding America's latest Map the Meal Gap study. Nearly 450,000 children in North Texas are facing food insecurity.
Child hunger is most visible during school breaks, when the safety net of campus-based meals disappears. But programs like the Child and Adult Care Food Program aims to close that gap.
The meal program will be active at eight schools across Fort Worth during the break and any child under 18 can receive a meal. Children do not have to be enrolled at FWISD to receive meals, but are required to eat their meals at the school.
Meals will be made available at the following schools from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. from Nov. 24 to Nov. 26:
● Alice Contreras Elementary, 4100 Lubbock Ave.
● C.C. Moss Elementary, 4108 Eastland St.
● Briscoe Elementary, 2751 Yuma Ave.
● Manuel Jara Elementary, 2100 Lincoln Ave.
● Clifford Davis Elementary, 4300 Campus Drive
● Diamond Hill Elementary, 2000 Dewey St.
● Maude I. Logan Elementary, 2300 Dillard St.
NTFB Thanksgiving Distribution
The North Texas Food Bank is partnering with UNT Dallas and several retailers for a large-scale distribution this weekend, aimed at feeding over 1,000 families ahead of Thanksgiving.
Jeff Smith with the NTFB says food needs are largely driven by inflation, but also the recent government shutdown which impacted SNAP benefits.
“We see a lot of families struggling to make ends meet,” Smith said. “They’re having to make tough choices on purchasing food or paying rent or for child care. We want to make sure no one has to choose between those essential needs.”
According to Every Texan, child food insecurity in the DFW region stands at 20.9%, up from the previous year. In Dallas County alone, that is over 162,000 children who are facing hunger.
Smith says the holidays should be a joyful time for children and not a period marked by uncertainty about where their next meal comes from.
“During the holiday season, families who rely on free or reduced meals may need to provide up to 10 additional meals per week for each child,” Smith said. “That is a heavy burden for households already struggling with rising costs. The holidays should be a joyful time for kids. When families can get the support they need, children can focus on being children instead of worrying about where their next meal is coming from.”
The North Texas Food Bank will hold its distribution from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, November 22 at the UNT Dallas campus.
Emmanuel Rivas Valenzuela is KERA's breaking news reporter. Got a tip? Email Emmanuel at erivas@kera.org.
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