Child Hunger
Through our Nourish the Future child programs, NTFB partners with North Texas schools, community organizations and social service programs to distribute more than 40 million nutritious meals to children experiencing food insecurity each year.
Our Programs
Food 4 Kids Serving up to 4,500 chronically hungry children each week
The NTFB works with educators to identify chronically hungry students and provide them with a bag full of nutritious, nonperishable, kid-friendly food each Friday afternoon. The Food 4 Kids program operates at more than 250 elementary and middle schools in North Texas, and ensures children have access to food when they’re at home during the weekend.
Qualifying schools that are interested can email ChildPrograms@ntfb.org. To participate, elementary schools must have at least 50% of their students qualifying for free/reduced lunch, and middle schools must have at least 40% qualifying for free/reduced meals.
NTFB's Food 4 Kids backpack program
helped provide over 827,000 meals
during the 2023 - 2024 school year
“Families tell us how grateful they are … Some of them rely on the school for the majority of their meals. (After distributions), I feel they come to school happier, and they pay better attention and aren’t so worried about where their next meal will come from.”
–Catherine, Dallas ISD elementary school counselor
NTFB School Pantries provided more than 2.7 million nutritious meals across 40 sites during the 2023 - 2024 school year.
School Pantry Program
Providing non-perishable items and fresh produce to students
Through more than 40 School Pantry sites, NTFB works with campuses to distribute nutritious, non-perishable items plus produce. These operate at elementary, middle and high schools as well as on 15 college campuses, and they serve students, their families and staff. Some pantries operate as drive-through distributions while others have grab-and-go spaces set up inside the school.
Schools interested in participating, can email ChildPrograms@ntfb.org for more information. To participate, primary and secondary schools must have at least 90% of their students qualifying for free/reduced meals
“This is a great way to help your family, especially with everything being so expensive. I’m so grateful for the donors, not just for me, but for everyone who needs it.”
Damian, a father of two and school pantry volunteer/recipient
Summer Programming
About half of NTFB’s school pantries continue operating during the summer, including several college pantries that are open to the greater community. NTFB also works with its partners, including distribution hub Sharing Life, to continue providing access to Food 4 Kids bags during the summer. NTFB continues to stay engaged with Summer Food Service Program providers, and it works to ensure its 500 partner pantries and community organizations are equipped to meet the increased need for food assistance that can occur during the summer months when school meals are not available.
NTFB's Child Hunger programs operate in over 300 schools across our 13-county service area.
For more information, reach out to ChildPrograms@ntfb.org