This summer, the No Kid Hungry Texas team hit the road to see firsthand what it takes to keep kids fed when school is out. This year, we invested $289,982 across 11 organizations serving 48 counties in Texas, with a focus on expanding non-congregate models in rural communities — reaching kids who would otherwise fall through the cracks.
Traditional summer meal programs require kids to eat on-site at a school, park, or community center. That may work for some communities,, but it leaves out families who live too far from the nearest site to get there every day. Non-congregate models close that gap: families can pick up several days’ worth of meals at once, or get them delivered straight to their door, so distance is never the reason a kid goes without.
None of this is possible without the school districts, food banks, libraries, and local partners who make it happen, day after day, county after county. Here’s some of what we saw this summer.
Rising to the Need in Brenham ISD
Brenham ISD was expecting to serve 150 kids per distribution. On day one, 1,100 showed up; by the second, 1,300 families had signed up for 13,000 meals in 26 hours. Director Kasandra met that demand by recruiting volunteers over local radio, and now keeps a 180-child waitlist with a weekly second-chance pickup. Even during flash flood warnings, she kept the site open all day so families could pick up safely on their own schedule — proof that one person’s determination can stretch a program far beyond what anyone expected. It’s the kind of hard work and flexibility that earned Kassandra a National Summer Hunger Hero nomination this year.
Meeting Families Where They Are: Central Texas Food Bank in Uhland
Our grant supported 24 Central Texas Food Bank sites this year, including one at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Uhland, which our team visited. By partnering with a trusted local hub, the Food Bank reaches families who already know and trust the space. On a single distribution day, this site alone serves 100 families with two weeks’ worth of shelf-stable meals per child — made possible in part by Children’s Program Manager Brianna Fleming, one of this year’s Summer Heroes, who keeps sites like this one running without missing a beat.
Built for Working Parents: Smithville ISD
Smithville ISD operated evening distribution twice a week, built around the schedules of working parents, sending kids home with five days’ worth of meals plus books from a partnership with the local library. A grant-funded pallet lift now speeds up loading the meal boxes. On one short-staffed visit, our own senior program manager, Mia Medina, jumped into the assembly line, helping serve 55 families in an hour.
An Eight-Hour Route to Reach Every Family: Sabinal ISD
In Uvalde County, Sabinal ISD’s home delivery program has grown from a 3-hour route to a full 8-hour route to reach the county’s most rural families. Local youth ride along and know every family by name — a route built not just on logistics, but on trust that’s been earned one doorstep at a time.
Listening to Families: Houston Food Bank in Huntsville
Our grant helped the Houston Food Bank expand from 2 to 10 non-congregate sites across Southeast Texas. . After hearing through focus groups that many families lack freezer space, the Food Bank shifted its bundles to fully shelf-stable meals — a change built directly around what families said they needed, not just what was easiest to hand out.
A Line That Said Everything: San Antonio Food Bank in Karnes City
Two hours before distribution began in Karnes City, more than 30 cars were already lined up. One of 16 sites across 10 counties our grant supports through this partnership, and a line that said everything about how much this work matters here.
Nourishment and Connection in Beeville ISD
Alongside their non-congregate meal program, Beeville ISD ran hands-on learning labs where kids explored fresh produce and blended their own smoothies — turning a meal site into a place families gather, not just pick up food.
The Work Behind the Numbers
Every stop told the same story: hunger doesn’t take a summer break, and neither do our partners on the ground. From a radio call for volunteers to an eight-hour delivery route, this work happens because people keep showing up for kids. We’re proud to invest in it, but the credit belongs to the organizations, districts, food banks, libraries, and volunteers behind them — making sure kids across Texas counties have what they need this summer.
