Summer Hunger Food drive ensures kids have access to food without access to school

BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) – The 5th Annual KBTX and Brazos Valley Food Bank Summer Hunger Food Drive is happening throughout the month of June, hoping to fill the gaps that summer brings.

This is especially true when students are out of school and parents have up to two additional meals on their plates at home each day.

“Our campus alone, we have 200 kids that are eligible for free and reduced lunch and we have just over 500 total students. So that’s a significant population on our campus,” CSISD teacher and food pantry coordinator, Lauren Cummings said. “It’s a little bit more challenging because students may not have access to come up to school. We’re not at school. So we try to load up a lot in May, we try to send a lot of stuff home in the month of May especially the last week of school.”

There’s a large portion of the Brazos Valley community that relies on free and reduced breakfast and lunch at school. Educators also work to send kids home with what they call backpacks, filled with foods and snacks to help get kids through the weekend. They also host community lunches at designated spots around district campuses when school is out. But, when summer comes around many of those kids aren’t able to make it to those meals.

This is where the backpack program grows. But this program, along with many others at the Brazos Valley Food Bank, can only help as long as shelves are stocked.

“Our expenses are going up a little electricity for utilities and then you know with inflation recently then you know, all of all of our dollars stretch a little bit less than they used to so we’re seeing increased need,” Shannon Avila with the Brazos Valley Food Bank said.

The schools work to make sure the kids can access food through them or the food bank. This partnership is helping to make sure no meals are missed this summer.

“These are our kids. This is the community that we serve during the school year. So this is the community we want to serve during the summer as well,” Sandra Baxton with Bryan ISD Nutrition Services said.

“It’s a little bit more challenging because students may not have access to come up to school. We’re not at school. So we try to load up a lot in may we try to send a lot of stuff home the month of May especially the last week of school,” Cummings said.

The food drive will be happening throughout the month of June. You can make donations at the following sites.

George’s Paint & Body, Monday, June 3, 2024, 4-6 p.m.Paradowski Law Firm, Tuesday, June 4, 2024, 4-6 p.m.Producer’s Cooperative Association, Wednesday, June 5, 2024, 4-6 p.m.Aggieland Outfitters Thursday, June 6, 2024, 4-6 p.m.Douglass Mazda & Volkswagen Friday, June 7, 2024, 4-6 p.m.