San Antonio, Texas – Today, No Kid Hungry Texas announced its investment of $113,130 in eight school districts in Texas. Spanning multiple cities and small towns across the Lone Star State, these grants are designed to improve and increase student participation in school breakfast programs.
Research shows that a healthy breakfast supports concentration and focus, and is associated with higher academic achievement, better attendance, and fewer behavioral issues among school children. Additional research finds that for many kids, the breakfasts they eat at school are often more nutritionally balanced than the ones they may eat at home or on the way to school.
“School breakfast programs help fuel students for success, and are an essential source of nutrition for the 1 in 6 kids currently facing hunger in Texas,” said Stacie Sanchez Hare, Director of No Kid Hungry Texas. “We are excited to support these districts’ capacities to provide convenient and innovative school breakfast options that will help increase participation in these programs.”
These grants are intended to help school districts better meet the nutritional needs of their students. At Austin ISD, in particular, funds will be used to update their food truck which will rotate among all high schools and offer unique menu items to students. At Southwest ISD, elementary students across eight different campuses will receive breakfast in the classroom thanks to the purchase of coolers, warmers, and rolling carts.
“At Austin ISD, many students rely on school meals as their primary source of nutrition. We know how hunger can impact children mentally and physically; it is important for us to provide students with the option of a healthy, tasty meal to start the day,” said Ryan Mikolaycik, Executive Director of Food Service & Warehouse Operations at Austin ISD. “Whether meals are served in the cafeteria or the classroom, the foods we offer at breakfast help give students the nutrients they need to learn, move, and grow.”
This year, eight school districts across Texas have been awarded grant funds to support their school breakfast programs, including:
- Austin ISD
- Benjamin ISD
- Laredo ISD
- Pasadena ISD
- Southwest ISD (San Antonio, TX)
- Somerset Academy of Texas (San Antonio, TX)
- Spring ISD
- Woodsboro ISD
“From the littlest ones to the seniors, we can see how big of a difference it makes to start the day with a full belly,” said KyLee Oefinger, District Dietitian at Southwest ISD. “With increased food and equipment costs, we are grateful for the opportunity to use this grant to continue expanding our breakfast program across our campuses.”
Last year, No Kid Hungry Texas successfully advocated for a state budget approval from the Texas Legislature to cover the cost of school breakfast for reduced-price eligible children across the state. This budget approval – via an appropriation of funds from the Texas Department of Agriculture – made free breakfast available to nearly 70,000 more schoolchildren.
While this budget approval helped eliminate costs for many families across Texas, No Kid Hungry Texas also seeks to improve access and reduce the stigma associated with school meal programs through its direct grants to school districts and ongoing programmatic support.
To learn more about No Kid Hungry Texas’ advocacy work and year-round grantmaking, please visit https://state.nokidhungry.org/texas/.