While the start of summer is exciting for kids, it can also bring anxiety to those struggling with food security. Food insecurity is the state of being without reliable access to healthy food, and 14% of Texans experience it, according to FeedingTexas.org. Various organizations are combating that through summer food programs.
Texans Feeding Texans
One of the biggest summer food programs is the Texas Department of Agriculture’s Summer Meals program, which served 15 million meals at 5,711 meal sites in 2019, says Catherine Steele, the administrator for food and nutrition at TDA.
“Just as meals at school help children concentrate in the classroom, summer nutrition helps more children have an active, healthy summer so they can look forward to being back at school or just grow and thrive,” Catherine says.
Along with the TDA’s summer food program, individual school districts like Grapevine-Colleyville ISD often have their own summer food programs or serve as meal sites.
“We start in March preparing for that year's summer feeding programs,” says Julie Telesca, GCISD’s director of nutrition. “There is a lot of planning that takes place for our summer feeding programs, including our registered dietitian developing a menu, determining staffing schedules, creating marketing and signage materials and then communicating about the program to our families and the community.”
Another local program is GRACE’s Feed Our Kids, which anticipates to serve more than 30,000 kids this summer, says Stacy Pacholick, GRACE’s chief program officer.
“Before we talk about improving income, improving employability, improving education, we’ve gotta make sure that families have enough food and are sheltered so their energy is not being spent on meeting their basic needs,” Stacy says.
Last summer, the North Texas Food Bank served around 7,000 kids through their child programs.
“Many kids and families depend on school meals as a source of nutritious, affordable food,” says Madison Messinger, the Child Programs Administrator at NTFB. “When you remove that safety net, summer break can seem pretty daunting.”
Pandemic Pivot
As the pandemic hit, the need for food increased and organizations had to get creative.
“We implemented a lot of drive-throughs and grab and gos,” Madison says.
GCISD also pivoted to a curbside model and saw an increase in need due to the pandemic.
“Prior to the pandemic, we served about 450 students daily. Last summer we served about 800 to 1,000 students daily through curbside meal bundles,” Julie says. “This summer we are anticipating serving 1,500 students daily through in-person and curbside service.”
No matter how it looks, one thing is clear: These organizations won’t stop serving those in need.
“In North Texas, one in four children are food insecure. That statistic can feel overwhelming sometimes, but hunger is a solvable problem,” Madison says. “With the support of our neighbors, we can put food on the table and ensure children have the nutrition they need to grow up strong and confident.”