The End of Summer

Summer is Ending and School is Back in Session

If you’re like us, you’re probably wondering where the summer has gone. It feels like just yesterday we were looking forward to vacations and days on the water that come with the hot summer months. Of course, in Houston, the heat will stay with us as we transition to “fall” and everything that comes with it. At Target Hunger, this also brings the end of our Summer Breakfast & Lunch program. In June, we told you about the Ride United program, a partnership between United Way Worldwide and DoorDash. Through this partnership, this summer over 200 households received food delivered directly to their door through the Summer Breakfast & Lunch program. Families received five food distributions between June and August. Each food box contained easy-to-prepare breakfast and lunch food intended to last for ten days or 56 meals, plus snacks.

August 13 was our final distribution before school went back in session. Staff showed up to the warehouse in the early hours that Friday morning to organize our the boxes for the DoorDash drivers. Thanks to UnitedHealthCare, there was one additional surprise for the families – new backpacks! UnitedHealthCare donated backpacks for all students in our Summer Breakfast & Lunch program, which were filled with sanitizing wipes, hand sanitizer, and masks. We are grateful for partnerships like this that allow us to give more to those who need it most.

Around 8am the DoorDash drivers began arriving. Staff and volunteers worked swiftly to load the backseats and trunks of cars with all the supplies the families were soon to receive. By 10, every car had been loaded and sent off with the last of our summer deliveries.

 

Some Things End, Others Remain the Same

While our Summer Breakfast & Lunch program has come to an end, the DoorDash delivery program is still a vital resource. Over 900 households, including our seniors, remain in the delivery program through the end of 2021. We are grateful to be able to continue to serve some of the most vulnerable in our community in such a safe and effective way. 

As the school year begins, we are also happy to continue serving families through our Pantry Program. When they enroll, families can continue to receive distributions of fresh and canned goods each month.

We are looking forward to fall and the cooler weather it will hopefully bring. Happy learning to all the students as you begin a new year. Thank you to all the teachers and school staff for your dedication to Houston’s students as we continue to deal with this pandemic. We hope everyone has a happy, safe return to school!

By Target Hunger on August 20, 2021   /   All   /   Leave a comment