United Way partners with Brownsville ISD to combat holiday food insecurity
Amid rising food insecurity, the United Way of Southern Cameron County (UWSCC) and Brownsville ISD are again partnering in the annual snack pack program that provides a healthy nutritional boost for school children during the upcoming holiday season.
In Cameron County, one in four children faces food insecurity, meaning more than 31,000 kids don’t know where their next meal will come from, Wendy De Leon, UWSCC president and CEO, stated in a news release. The snack pack program targets this critical need by ensuring that BISD students identified by school nurses and counselors have access to food during the two-week Christmas break
The snack pack initiative is being launched just as the longest U.S. government shutdown ends and full SNAP food benefits are being restored.
State officials said Thursday that they are working quickly to get full SNAP food benefits to millions of people, though it still could take up to a week for some to receive their delayed aid.
Brownsville’s snack pack program is aimed at meeting part of the needs of school children during the upcoming Christmas break, when school meals aren’t available to them.
“Right now, families are being squeezed from every direction. SNAP cuts have reduced what’s available to help, food prices keep rising and parents are struggling to make ends meet. When school lets out, many kids lose the two meals a day they depend on,” De Leon said.
UWSCC created the snack pack program to bridge this gap. This year more than ever the agency needs “individuals and community members to help us make this happen,” DeLeon stated in the release.
This year’s initiative seeks to provide snack packs to more than 500 children. Each bag costs about $35 to assemble. Community members and organizations can support the effort by donating at www.unitedwayrgv.org/donate and then choosing snack pack as the designation.
Snack packs can also be dropped off at the UWSCC office, 634 Levee St. in Brownsville by Dec. 12 with the items listed below:
>> One jar of peanut butter;
>> One box of graham crackers;
>> Pudding cups (minimum of four);
>> Fruit cups (minimum of four);
>> Package of granola bars;
>> Package of cereal bars;
>> Canned tuna (minimum of two);
>> At least 10 100% juice boxes;
>> Cheese and cracker kits;
>> Box of whole wheat crackers;
>> Individually packaged raisins.
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