![]() It will end on August 18, when children return to school. The Parks and Recreation Department’s program serves children Monday through Friday, starting at the beginning of June. These services receive funds from the same federal program as HISD, providing free summer meals to children at 189 and 80 sites, respectively. ![]() Parents looking for help once closures start in their area can turn to the Houston Food Bank or Houston Parks and Recreation Department’s summer meal programs. Select schools in the district stay open, but those are through different programs specific to those locations.īrown-Blackwell said these programs are not open to the vast majority of students, and they are maybe three or five-day programs that do not run throughout July. HISD’s summer meal program stopped serving on June 30, the last day of summer school. They serve around 90,000 meals a day across all locations, with Rodriguez Elementary, Pilgrim Academy, Burbank Middle School and Berry Elementary the most-served schools in the program.īrown-Blackwell said this is likely due to how densely populated those school districts are, where an average of over 300 plus meals are served daily at each of these four schools. “We want to make sure that we are serving all the kids who need it.” If they need breakfast or lunch, they can come by one of the schools serving, and we will serve them,” she said. “This is for any kid in Houston, even if they are just visiting from out of town. ![]() The program's locations are open for summer school and many kids are enrolled in these classes, although a child does not have to be attending summer school to receive the meals, Brown-Blackwell said. Parents can contact the individual campus or call Nutrition Services at 71 to find out when breakfast and lunch will be available.Ĭhandra Brown-Blackwell, area manager for Nutrition Services at HISD, said children can walk in and receive these meals without registering, applying, or paying a sign-in fee. Meals are served in the morning and afternoon exact times can vary per school. Houston ISD launched its Summer Meal Program in June, providing free breakfast and lunch to children between the ages of one and 18 at roughly 256 locations across the district.ĭepending on the locations, the district provides services Monday through Thursday or Friday. Organizations and city programs are also there to help families, which Nguyen said is a “big factor” in how these families can access food in the interim. The Texas Department of Agriculture administers these programs and sets nutritional and operational guidelines. Department of Agriculture for schools to do so. The Summer Food Service program is another federal assistance program that provides funding from the U.S. Local school districts may provide free meals to make up for the months between the school year. ![]() “The cost of living is going up with inflation, and fresh or organic foods are expensive. “Unfortunately, this is a big issue in Houston, just because of the living conditions in general,” Nguyen said. This leaves parents looking for alternative assistance if they are unable to put food on the table, said Tommy Nguyen, WIC senior nutritionist with the Houston Health Department. Once summer break rolls around the School Breakfast and National School Lunch Programs – which use federal funds to provide free meals for children when they are at school – stop serving. Many families in the Greater Houston area rely on local public schools to be their children’s primary food source during the school year, but what happens when school is out? ![]()
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