AUSTIN (KXAN) — No Kid Hungry Texas (NKHT) announced a more than $113,000 investment into eight school districts in Texas, including Austin, the nonprofit announced Thursday in a news release.
The $113,130 grant is used to “help school districts better meet the nutritional needs of their students,” the release said. AISD will use the funds update its food truck, which will rotate at the district’s high schools “and offer unique menu items to students.”
“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, in the release. “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.”
A healthy breakfast can help children focus better, have higher academic achievement, better attendance and more, according to research.
In 2023, the nonprofit said it “successfully advocated for a state budget approval from the Texas Legislature” to cover school breakfast costs for eligible children across Texas. Moreover, the budget approval help make free breakfast available to nearly 70,000 children, according to NKHT.
To learn more about the nonprofit, you can visit their website.
Below are all districts awarded grant funds from the nonprofit:
Austin ISD
Benjamin ISD
Laredo ISD
Pasadena ISD
Southwest ISD (San Antonio, TX)
Somerset Academy of Texas (San Antonio, TX)
Spring ISD
Woodsboro ISD