In 2022, No Kid Hungry Texas, a nonprofit focused on solving childhood hunger and poverty across the state, awarded $30K to Brookesmith ISD and five other Texas rural school districts through its second annual Rural School District Cohort.

In partnership with the Texas Rural Education Association, the Rural School District Cohort Program provides funding to rural school districts in Texas to directly support and help scale up their meal programs, as well as create opportunities for collaboration among districts.

Nationally, Texas has more rural schools than any other state, with more than 20% of all campuses located in rural areas and over 600,000 students enrolled in these schools across the state.

This fall, the nonprofit released an impact report detailing the results of its $180,000 investment, demonstrating that half of the cohort members reported an increase in student participation in one or more school meal programs compared to the previous school year.

Brookesmith ISD, in particular, used grant funding to purchase an industrial air fryer for the school kitchen, allowing them to expand their capacities to provide healthy meals while also reducing food waste.

“For many, school meals play an incredibly important role in their everyday lives, helping alleviate family budgets and providing nourishing and balanced meals to kids which improve their health and academic performance,” said Mia Medina with No Kid Hungry Texas. “Many in these rural communities face increased challenges due to limited access to resources, which is why we make it a priority to work with and support the local school districts.”

The district also partnered with Good Samaritan Ministries to provide afternoon snacks and weekend backpacks to more than 60 PK-5 students enrolled in the district. Grant funding helped the district cover the cost of start-up materials for this partnership including food and weekend sacks, enough to provide at least two breakfast and two lunch meals for the weekend.

“The grant enabled the district to provide a variety of delicious and nutritious snacks every day to more than 60 PK-5 students who had to wait a long time between meals, from lunch at 10:45 am until being dropped off from the school bus after 4:00 pm,” said Bob Contreras, Assistant Superintendent at Brookesmith ISD. “Together, Brookesmith ISD, Good Samaritan Ministries, and No Kid Hungry Texas were able to make life a little better for these children and their families.”

In addition to receiving grant funding, cohort members engage in bimonthly collaboration calls to share best practices and innovative ideas, as well as learn how to build and strengthen community partnerships and professional networks.

Currently, eight additional districts across the state have been selected to participate in the 2023-2024 cohort program through its third iteration, connecting thousands of Texas kids in rural areas to reliable, nutritious school meals. To read the full report and learn more about the impact in each district, click here.