North Texas Food Bank and Dallas College Support 450 Families through Spring Break Distribution

Households were provided with 60 pounds of nutritious food during the March 5 event at Dallas College Pleasant Grove Center.

Carol and her family have never sought food assistance before. But when she heard about the Spring Break Distribution being hosted by North Texas Food Bank and Dallas College this week, she decided her four children could use the extra support.

“That’s what triggered me to come,” says Carol, whose kids range in age from 5 to 17. The older three receive meals on campus when school is in session, and she knew it would be tough to provide those extra meals when they’re home next week on break. “It’s pocket breaking,” she says.

Carol says her husband works but with the high cost of groceries, utilities and other necessities, their budget has been stretched thin and she’s thankful for the help. “It’s a blessing,” she says.

In NTFB’s 12-county service area, 1 in 5 children, or more than 252,000 kids, face hunger. When in school, many qualify for free or reduced-price meals.

“For families whose children rely on free and reduced-price breakfast and lunch at school, this means needing to provide up to 10 extra meals for each child during spring break. And that can be a burden for families who are already struggling to make ends meet,” says Trisha Cunningham, NTFB President and CEO.

Stephanie Harris, Dean of Basic Needs and Student Care for Dallas College, says they have 14 pantries in their network and this year began regularly serving the community along with students from their satellite campuses, like Pleasant Grove Center.

Before the Spring Break Distribution, 2,500 community members had already been provided food from those campuses this school year.

“A part of being Dallas College is we are a community college, and we exist to support Dallas as a community, and food insecurity is such a significant issue,” she says. “Your body doesn’t function without nutrition.”

Jaime, a neighbor who drove 40 minutes to attend the distribution on his day off from work, says it was also his first time visiting a distribution. He says he’s grateful for the extra support because with two children at home, it’s been difficult to afford everything they need.

“It’s expensive,” he says. “Everything is expensive right now.”