MCLENNAN COUNTY, Texas (KXXV) — Waco ISD food closets at Waco High School and University High School serve a combined 750 to 875 students each month, providing snacks, clothing and hygiene items.
- Hundreds of those students are living in unstable housing situations, including sleeping in cars, shelters and parks.
- The district supports struggling students through free and reduced lunch, mobile food pantries and a partnership with Central Texas Food Bank — but food and supplies run out within 2 weeks of each monthly delivery.
- Waco ISD is accepting donations of clothing in all sizes, shoes, toiletries and backpack-friendly snacks to help meet the ongoing need.
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BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Hundreds of students in Waco ISD rely on the district for food, clothing and hygiene items — and the need is real.
At Waco High School, around 400 to 450 students visit the school's food closet each month. At University High School, around 350 to 425 students make that same monthly visit, picking up snacks, clothing and hygiene items.
The district also helps out staff, serving between 40 to 60 staff members each month.
Briotony Porter serves as the Homeless and Foster Liaison at Waco ISD. She said hundreds of those students are living in unstable housing environments.
"These are our students that may temporarily be living with family members, friends, living doubled up, sleeping on the couch, in cars, hotels, shelters. Um, we have some that like sleep in parks."
To help feed struggling students, Waco ISD provides free and reduced lunch throughout the district. The district also operates mobile food pantries in the community to assist families without transportation and partners with Central Texas Food Bank to help stock its food closets.
The district receives two deliveries from the food bank each month. But after two weeks, the food, clothing and hygiene items are gone.
Porter said the support directly impacts how students show up at school.
"Their attendance, their behaviors and their classes. And just making sure that they're being productive considering the situation that they're dealing with outside of the home or outside of the school."
School starts Aug. 12, and students will have access to the food closet beginning the first day of school.
The district is always accepting donations of clothing in all sizes, shoes, toiletries, and any snacks that can fit in a child's backpack. Donations can be made directly to the district.
To donate to Waco High you can contact Keli Jackson-Freeman at 254-776-1150 ext.7694 or by email at keli.jackson@wacoisd.org.
To donate to University High, you can contact Mary Olivarez at 254-756-1843.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
