Communities In Schools of North Texas would like to say THANK YOU to Atmos Energy for donating $50,000 in food support to CISNT to help address food insecurity among Denton County students and families!
In Denton County in 2018, nearly 1 in 6 (16%) of children were food insecure, (Feeding America). Food insecurity is the measure of “lack of access, at times, to enough food for an active, healthy lifestyle for all household members and limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate foods,” (U.S. Department of Agriculture; Feeding America). The COVID-19 pandemic has intensified economic hardships for many families, as job loss or lack of access to regular supportive services has occurred.
When a child comes to school hungry and their food needs go unmet, their health, academic performance, and quality of life can be affected (Children At Risk, 2014). According to Children At Risk, hunger has been found to be linked with:
- Reduced attention in class
- Behavioral issues
- Increased school absences
- Higher rates of special education or mental health counseling
- More suicidal or depressive tendencies
In order to address hunger among North Texas students, CISNT offers a variety of food-related services. Site Coordinators assist students and their families in filling out free and reduced lunch applications, provide in-school snacks to children, and refer their students and families in-need to local food pantries. Many Site Coordinators also have small food pantries with goods that can be sent home to families in-need, and Atmos’ donation will help CISNT open additional food pantries at campuses across Denton County.
CISNT also provides weekend food bags at many campuses, including Vickery Elementary School. Through partnerships with Helping Hands for Little Hearts and Food4Kids, Vickery Elementary School Site Coordinator Farren Barnett passes out snacks to her students throughout the school day and distributes snack bags for students to take home over the weekend.
Ms. Barnett writes:
“Providing students with snacks throughout the day is an easy way to help improve a student’s engagement in school. Additionally, parents have expressed to me that the Food4Kids weekend snack bags are very helpful. Many of the students at Vickery receive free or reduced lunch throughout the school week. Passing out weekend food bags can help to take some of the burden off of parents and help to keep students full even when they are not at school.”
Atmos Energy’s generous contribution will go far in helping Ms. Barnett and other CISNT Site Coordinators provide valuable support to students facing food insecurity, and in empowering North Texas Students to stay in school and achieve in life.
Thank you, Atmos Energy, for being #AllInForKids for over 10 years!
