LAREDO, Texas (KGNS) – According to the nonprofit organization No child hungryUp to 13 million children in the United States live in food-insecure households. But in Webb County, more than $50 million in federal funding is allocated to local school districts to ensure no student goes without a meal.
For many students, lunchtime is the best time of the day. Even five-year-old Andres, a kindergarten student at Cuellar Elementary School, knows how important a balanced meal is. When asked why it is so important to eat at school, he simply said: “So you can no longer say you are hungry.”
These meals, served on Styrofoam plates, are funded by federal funds. Dr. Gerardo Cruz, superintendent of United ISD, said all districts in Webb County will receive a combined total of over $50.7 million to support school meal programs that include breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Of the total funding, United ISD will receive $33 million, which Dr. Cruz said will significantly improve the district’s meal program. Last year, UISD served over 9 million meals to students, a testament to the program’s success. “These meals are nutritious and delicious. If students don’t receive the right nutrition, they can’t learn effectively,” Dr. Cruz emphasized.
Some of the federal funds will also be used to pay salaries for food service employees and purchase necessary equipment such as refrigerators. In addition to United ISD, students from Laredo ISD, Harmony and Webb Consolidated ISD will also benefit from these funds. Dr. HH Garza Jr., superintendent of Webb Consolidated ISD, pointed out that their district will be allocated nearly $300,000, which is equivalent to about 140,000 meals served last year.
At a time of rising inflation and rising food prices, Dr. Cruz emphasizes the critical role these meals play for families. “We understand the difficult economic times we are going through. For many of our students, this may be their only meal of the day.”
LISD will receive over $16 million and Harmony will receive nearly $1 million.
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