Communities In Schools of Greater Central Texas announced today it has received a $30,000 donation from Atmos Energy Corporation to assist in hunger relief for CIS students.
The donation will allow the local non-profit agency to provide nutritious foods to students and families enrolled in the program.
According to Communities In Schools community partner, the Central Texas Food Bank, two-thirds of the people it served had to choose between buying food and paying for housing in the past year and 80 percent had to choose between food and medicine.
Michael Dewees, executive director of CIS-Greater Central Texas noted many students in the CIS program are among those families.
“Fifty-four percent of families in our service area are facing food insecurity,” he said. “For this reason, Atmos Energy Corporation’s donation will go a long way to help us solve hunger so our students’ families will not have to decide between going hungry or paying a utility bill or housing cost.”
A growing number of students in the program attend class unable to focus on learning because they sometimes don’t have food at home or other basic needs including someone to help them with homework, proper clothing or a safe place to stay.
Atmos Energy’s donation will further help CIS direct attention to meet those needs.
“CIS is committed to supporting student success, not only nourishing their minds and bodies, but providing more of these students a relationship with a caring adult and access to the resources they need to succeed in school,” said Dewees. “Our new partnership with Atmos Energy demonstrates that commitment and enables us to help our students overcome these deficiencies as well as put food on their tables.”
With the generous support of corporations like Atmos Energy, CIS can continue feeding its students and families which are among the most in need across central Texas.
“We are proud to partner with Communities In Schools to provide healthy meals for our central Texas children and their families in need,” said Tammie Bowman, public affairs manager for Atmos Energy. “Through our Fueling Safe and Thriving Communities program, Atmos Energy is committed to solving food insecurity in the 1,400 communities we serve so hungry children get the food they need before, during and after the school day and on weekends and holidays as well.”
