HOUSTON — One in five southeast Texas children is considered food insecure, which means they don’t have consistent access to enough nutritious food. Many of these children rely on free or reduced-price breakfast and lunch during the school week. On the weekends and holidays, these children go home to little or no meals. The Houston Food Bank’s Backpack Buddy program works to fill that gap for chronically hungry children by providing nutritious, child-friendly food for students to take home over the weekend.
Food insecurity often means parents and guardians must make difficult decisions between paying for groceries and paying for other necessities. As inflation increases, the cost of foods like meats, fresh produce, and dairy also tends to rise. That’s why KHOU 11 is teaming up with American Furniture Warehouse, BlueWave Express, Mrs Baird’s, Reliant, and the Houston Food Bank to collect $40,000 in donations to help feed thousands of kids in Houston area schools.
This year, KHOU 11 is helping your generosity go even further by matching all donations up to $11,000!! These funds are made possible through KHOU’s parent company TEGNA and their TEGNA Foundation grant program. KHOU and the TEGNA Foundation are proud to fund nonprofit organizations and programs that support the communities we serve.
How You Can Donate
Now through Sept. 1, use the field below to make your donation
How Your Donation Will Be Used
- $12 = fills 4 bags with meals for the weekend for 1 child
- $36 = helps feed 1 child for 3 months
- $108 = provides a school years’ worth of meals over the weekend for 1 child
- $540 = provides 5 children with a school years’ worth of meals over the weekend
*If you are interested in having your child on the Backpack Buddy program:
- Contact the principal or school counselor at your child’s school to find out if the school participates in the program.
- If your school is not a part of the Backpack Buddy program, direct your school principal or counselor to this site for more information.
- Backpack Buddy Permission Slip Form