HOUSTON — Houston-area school districts have closed until until mid-April or further notice in an effort to stop the coronavirus from spreading on campus and throughout their communities.
While these closures fix one problem, they present a who new dilemma for parents, especially those who depend on school-funded meal programs.
Here is a list of the Houston area school districts that are offering free meals, mostly through drive-thru sites, for students and their families during the closures.
MealFinder is a state-run mobile app to help Texas residents find free meals for children and other meal distribution centers.
ALDINE ISD
Aldine ISD is providing curbside meals for families throughout the duration of the coronavirus outbreak. Campuses are expected to reopen April 10.
These meals are for children 18 and under, and the child must be present at pickup. Meals will be served for breakfast and lunch.
CLEVELAND ISD
Cleveland ISD will be handing out free drive-thru meals on Mondays and Thursdays at the Cleveland Middle School and Montebello Park.
Service hours are 9 a.m. – 11 a.m.
The district said the child must be younger than 18 and inside the vehicle during pickup in order to get the meal.
CYPRESS-FAIRBANKS ISD
Cypress-Fairbanks ISD is serving breakfast, lunch and dinner curbside starting March 16. These meals are available for all children under 18 in the area and are not dependent on where the student is enrolled for school.
The child must be present at the time of pickup.
Breakfast will be available from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.
Lunch will be available from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Dinner will be available from 4 p.m. to - 6 p.m.
The meals will be available at the following campuses:
- Arnold Middle School
- Bane Elementary School
- Cy Creek High School
- Cy Lakes High School
- Cy Park High School
- Cy Ridge High School
- Cy Springs High School
- Danish Elementary School
- Francone Elementary School
- Frazier Elementary School
- Holbrook Elementary School
- Horne Elementary School
- Kirk Elementary School
- Langham Creek High School
- Thornton Middle School
- Goodson Middle School
EAST CHAMBERS ISD
East Chambers ISD will continue to serve breakfast and lunch for its students.
Parents can pick up breakfast between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. or lunch between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.
It'll be handed out curbside outside the dome cafeteria starting March 16.
FORT BEND ISD
Fort Bend ISD is offering Grab and Go meals free of cost to anyone younger than 18 years old and to students with disabilities regardless of age. The meals are available to all children— including students who aren’t enrolled in the district.
The meals will be available at the following campuses during lunch and breakfast.
- Travis High School (11111 Harlem Rd, Richmond, TX 77406)
- Hodges Bend Middle School (16510 Bissonnet St, Houston, TX 77083)
- Kempner High School (14777 Voss Rd, Sugar Land, TX 77498)
- Sartartia Middle School (8125 Homeward Way, Sugar Land, TX 77479)
- First Colony Middle School (3225 Austin Pkwy, Sugar Land, TX 77479)
- Dulles High School (550 Dulles Ave, Sugar Land, TX 77478)
- Missouri City Middle School (202 Martin Ln, Missouri City, TX 77489)
- Elkins High School (7007 Knights Ct, Missouri City, TX 77459)
- Ridge Point High School (500 Waters Lake Blvd, Missouri City, TX 77459)
- McAuliffe Middle School (16650 S Post Oak Rd, Houston, TX 77053)
- Hightower High School (3333 Hurricane Ln, Missouri City, TX 77459)
The child must be in the vehicle in order to take a meal.
Breakfast will be served from 7:30 a.m. – 9 a.m.
Lunch will be served from 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.
GOOSE CREEK ISD
Goose Creek ISD is offering Grab and Go breakfast and lunch for all children (18 and under) on weekdays.
Starting March 16, lunch will be offered from 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
Starting March 17, breakfast will be served from 8-9 a.m.
Children (18 and under) may go to one of the following locations: Banuelos, Bowie, Carver, Highlands, Travis and San Jacinto elementaries: Gentry and Horace Mann junior schools and GCM, Lee and Sterling high schools.
HOUSTON ISD
Houston ISD has canceled its food distribution program for Thursday and Friday, March 26 and March 27, as it re-evaluates its process to safely deliver food to students and families in need.
The district is directing its students to the city's Curbside Meal Program. Click here for more information.
HUNTSVILLE ISD
Huntsville ISD is sponsoring a no-cost lunch program distributing "grab-and-go" meals on Monday through Friday to children (ages 0-18 years old).
According to current TDA rules, children must be present to be eligible to receive a free meal. Meals are available to all Huntsville-area children; this is not dependent on school enrollment.
All Green Hornet and Curbside meal sacks will include lunch items for that day and breakfast items for the next day.
Effective Monday, March 23, the free lunch program will expand to include additional distribution opportunities as follows:
GREEN HORNET FOOD BUS:
The Green Hornet Food Bus will stop to distribute at five designated public locations (same ones used for HISD Summer Feeding program).
The bus will be parked in the parking lot of the locations below for a limited amount of time before moving to the next bus stop as follows:
10:45 a.m. - Cogan's Grove Subdivision (FM 1696)
11:30 a.m. - YMCA (Old Houston Rd)
11:55 a.m. - Boys & Girls Club of Walker County (MLK Dr)
12:20 p.m. - University Heights Baptist Church (Sycamore Ave)
1:00 pm. - Riverside Baptist Church
To help avoid creating large crowds at each bus stop location, please limit the number of people gathered to 10 or fewer and stay 6 feet apart per CDC social distancing protocols. Please leave the premises as soon as your child receives their lunch.
CAMPUS CURBSIDE: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. curbside distribution at all Huntsville ISD campuses in the bus loading zone or designated meal pick-up area. Please remain in your vehicle, and the district child nutrition staff will bring the number of children’s meals needed to you. Campus locations as follows:
Gibbs PreK Center, 1800 19th Street
Huntsville Elementary, 87 Martin Luther King Drive
Samuel W. Houston Elementary, 1641 7th Street
Scott Johnson Elementary, 603 Hwy 190 East
Stewart Elementary, 3400 Boettcher Drive
Huntsville Intermediate, 431 Hwy 190 East
Mance Park Middle School, 1010 8th Street
Huntsville High School, 515 FM 2821 East
BACKPACK DELIVERY:
Huntsville ISD buses will run regular homebound (p.m.) routes each Tuesday afternoon delivering meal packs to children filled with 5 days’ worth of non-perishable food items. Buses will run an Early Release Day schedule which is approximately 2 hours earlier than normal afternoon route delivery times. Any child can participate so long as they are at a designated bus route stop.
KATY ISD
Katy ISD is giving free breakfast and lunch to all children under 18 years old living in the area starting March 16.
All meals will be provided in a "grab and go" style outside of the cafeteria near the covered walkway where buses pick up and drop off students.
These meals will be served between 9 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. at the following campuses:
- Bear Creek Elementary: 4815 Hickory Downs Dr, Houston, TX 77084
- Bethke Elementary: 4535 E Ventana Pkwy, Katy, TX 77493
- Golbow Elementary: 3535 Lakes of Bridgewater Dr, Katy, TX 77449
- Hutsell Elementary: 5360 Franz Rd, Katy, TX 77493
- Mayde Creek Elementary: 2698 Greenhouse Rd, Houston, TX 77084
- Memorial Parkway Elementary: 21603 Park Tree Ln, Katy, TX 77450
- Sundown Elementary: 20100 Saums Rd, Katy, TX 77449
- West Memorial Elementary: 22605 Provincial Blvd, Katy, TX 77450
- Williams Elementary: 3900 S. Peek Rd, Katy, TX 77450
- Tompkins High School: 4400 Falcon Landing Blvd, Katy, TX 77494
KIPP Houston
KIPP Houston is providing free breakfast and lunch for all persons 19 years and younger at three of its campuses weekdays from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
- KIPP North Campus at 500 Tidwell Road
- KIPP Sunnyside Campus at 11000 Scott Street
- KIPP Southwest Campus at 10711 KIPP Way Drive
LA PORTE ISD
La Porte ISD will offer to-go breakfast and lunch at no cost during the week of March 16 for all children who are younger than 18 years old.
The meals will be available at the James H. Baker Sixth Grade Campus. Parents are being asked to use the campus entrance at Underwood.
Breakfast will be served from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m.
Lunch will be served from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
LAMAR CONSOLIDATED ISD
Lamar CISD is offering free lunch for children 18 and under starting March 16 and free breakfast starting March 17. Mobile walk-up or drive-thru meal service will continue until services are no longer needed. Find more information here.
LIBERTY COUNTY ISD
Liberty County ISD has set up a drive-thru meal pickup at Liberty Middle School that will March 16.
The district will be serving meals between 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. daily.
Pickup will be at the bus drop-off lane on the west side of the school.
LIVINGSTON ISD
Livingston ISD is serving free meals to all students under 18 during the week of March 16 – March 20. These meals are being handed out at Cedar Grove Elementary School
Breakfast will be served from 7 a.m. – 8 a.m.
Lunch will be served from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
The meals will be brought out, you will not need to get out of your vehicle.
SANTA FE ISD
Santa Fe ISD & Nutrition Services Department will be providing meals for all SFISD students who qualify for the federal meal program beginning Monday, March 16th. Nutrition Services staff will have the meals set up in the drop-off/pickup area behind Barnett Elementary.
Parents and students may drive-thru and pick up the meals beginning March 16th-20th, from 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
SPRING BRANCH ISD
Spring Branch ISD will begin serving curbside pickup meals, Grab and Go Meals, for breakfast and lunch starting March 23. The meals will be served on Mondays and Wednesdays until April 10.
Service hours are 8 a.m. - 11 a.m. at the following schools:
- Hollibrook Elementary
- Tiger Trails Pre-K Center
- Bear Boulevard Pre-K Center
- Lion Lane Pre-K Center
- Wildcat Way Pre-K Center
- Spring Forest Middle School
TOMBALL ISD
Tomball ISD is offering curbside meals to all students at Tomball High School on March 17 and March 18. The meals will be served from 8 a.m. - 11 a.m.
Students must provide their student ID number at pickup. If they don't know it, staff will be there to assist.
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