San Antonio Takes Initiative to Combat Student Hunger
With summer break nearing, school districts in San Antonio hold an unwavering commitment to ensure that no student encounters hunger during the vacation. Various districts within the city are setting in motion food security programs aimed at meal distribution, offering essential readjustment to families in need.
Seamless Summer Program at Holmes High School
At Holmes High School, a program is underway as a part of the Seamless Summer Options Program. This program serves as an extension to the regular breakfast and lunch programs. Gabriella Reyna, NISD Operation Coordinator, explains that these meals will directly reflect the nutritious items offered during regular academic lunches.
She states, “Even with our normal school breakfast and lunch, we’ve observed a 2% increase just from the current capture compared to last year. That equates to approximately an additional 500,000 meals.” This rise underscores the imperative role of such initiatives in the battle against student food insecurity.
Maintaining Routines and Addressing Nutritional Gaps
Sharon Glosson, Director of School Nutrition for NEISD, shed light on the program’s importance in sustaining student routines during the summer break. She highlighted how kids might fail to maintain their reading and math skills during the summer, and similarly, this break can also allow nutritional gaps to develop in certain parts of San Antonio.
Glosson further emphasized the educational value of the program, stating, “This is something that proves extremely beneficial for students entering kindergarten. The program helps them to familiarize themselves with the cafeteria routines before the school year commences.”
Food Distribution for All
Both the programs assert that their food distribution is open to all children aged 18 and under, whether they are district school attendees or not. After all, these Seamless Summer food programs are nothing short of a lifeline for many families, offering essential nutritional support to students during the summer break.
The meal distribution locations this summer include institutes from Northside ISD, North East ISD, and Southwest ISD amongst others. This initiative truly underlines the city’s strong commitment to the well-being of every child.