According to the North Texas Food Bank, 1 in 5 North Texas students are food insecure, meaning they do not have reliable access to the food they need. At Communities In Schools of North Texas (CISNT), we believe that every child deserves a healthy start and a healthy future. Food support is a critical component of services to ensure that all students are well-fed and able to focus on learning in the classroom. In line with our mission and core beliefs, CISNT hosts Nutrition Hubs, or food pantries, at every school we serve, so that students and their families have access to basic necessities, including food, clothing, hygiene products, and more. With the holidays just around the corner, we’re celebrating the community support that brings generational change one item at a time through four Nutrition Hub stories!
Through generous donations of clothes and supplies, Kiana Chance, CISNT Site Coordinator in Denton ISD, was able to provide essential items for over 40 families at the beginning of the school year. Ms. Chance states, “Support from partners such as Uplift Ministry and Baylor Scott & White Health has helped students start the school year strong as we build together. Students were even able to shop for their own school supplies in the CIS room!”
Wendy Navarro, CISNT Site Coordinator in Lewisville ISD, operates a clothes closet that provides essential resources for students who may not have access to clean, seasonally appropriate, or well-fitting clothing. The closet offers shirts, pants, jackets, and shoes, allowing students to focus on learning rather than worrying about their basic needs. These items are crucial, especially as the weather begins to turn colder!
A local volunteer from First United Methodist Church helped coordinate a warmth drive for a CISNT campus in Denton ISD, which included jackets, beanies, gloves, and other winter accessories. Samantha Guerra Pereyra, CISNT Site Coordinator at this campus, states, “Students were so excited to be able to pick out their new jacket and winter accessories. They even started wearing their gloves inside because they wanted to have them on all the time!”
Arlo Arellano, CISNT Site Coordinator in Northwest ISD, shares, “I’ve seen students spreading the word with peers who need school supplies, clothing, or snacks. With genuine compassion, they guide them to me at CISNT, offering a welcoming space and support. Students continue to return not only for basic needs but also for help with academics and friendships.” In the Spring, with help from the school’s student council, Mr. Arellano will launch an on-campus clothing closet and food pantry that is “led by students for students!” Nutrition Hubs like Mr. Arellano’s not only provide basic necessities but also bring the student body together to create meaningful, campus-wide solutions. By helping students recognize the impact of basic needs within the community, it empowers them to serve and give back in unique and special ways.
In the 2024-25 school year, students made over 188,000 visits to our Nutrition Hubs across all CISNT campuses. The hubs are accessible at no cost to any student on campus, regardless of their participation in the CIS program. To keep our Nutrition Hubs stocked for our students and ensure that students have access to food, basic resources, and opportunities to build a better future, we rely on the generous support of our community. If you are interested in making an individual donation to support CISNT’s Nutrition Hubs, please visit cisnt.org/give. If your community, company, or organization is interested in partnering to help provide goods that fuel student success, please contact give@cisnt.org for more information. You can also shop our CISNT Amazon Wishlist, which ships items directly to us, and they are then distributed to the campuses with the highest need.
Thank you to our incredible Community of Support for the many ways in which you’ve empowered our students this school year! Your generosity helps ensure that every child has what they need and deserve, including a healthy start and a healthy future. We are truly grateful for all that you do!
