Being desperately hungry made me feel a great sense of shame. I would come to school and all I wanted was a meal. I couldn’t focus.
V I O L A D A V I S
2023 Impact Report
Who we Serve
Since 2012, Bayou City Blessings in a Backpack has been serving the children of Houston. Children receiving our weekend food bags qualify for federal Free and Reduced Price Meal programs and are identified confidentially by school staff.
Partner Schools
Spring Branch ISD Schools:
Buffalo Creek Elementary
Bunker Hill Elementary
Hollibrook Elementary
Housman Elementary
Hunter’s Creek Elementary
Meadow Wood Elementary
Nottingham Elementary
Spring Branch Elementary
Stratford High School (pantry)
Treasure Forest Elementary
Wilchester Elementary
Houston ISD Schools:
Blackshear Elementary
Burrus Elementary
Grissom Elementary
Montgomery Elementary
Children Fed
resources
Approximately 284,000 Houston children are considered food insecure meaning they often do not have consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy life. High levels of childhood food insecurity are linked through research to depressed developmental milestones and poor academic and social performance. Further, the “Map the Meal Gap” report reiterates the research adding “The consequences and costs of food insecurity for all ages make addressing the issue an economic and social imperative. In particular, inadequate nutrition can permanently alter children’s brain architecture and stunt their intellectual capacity, affecting children’s learning, social interaction and productivity.” Families considered “food insecure” are often families forced to make trade-offs between important basic needs, such as housing, transportation or health care, and purchasing nutritionally sound foods. Bayou City Blessings in a Backpack desires to lighten this burden for families, while helping to give each child a better opportunity to experience academic success.
Tea School Report card
The school report card (SRC) combines accountability ratings, data from the Texas Academic Performance Reports (TAPR), and financial information to give a broad view of campus performance. Available for each campus in Texas, it is intended to inform parents and guardians about a school’s individual characteristics and its academic performance.
Feeding America Map
For the ninth consecutive year, Feeding America has conducted the Map the Meal Gap study to improve our understanding of how food insecurity and food costs vary at the local level. By better understanding variations in local need, communities can develop more targeted strategies to reach people struggling with hunger.
“Map The Meal” Child Food Insecurity
Food insecurity has the potential to be harmful to individuals of any age, but it can be especially devastating to children. The USDA estimates that more than 12 million children in the United States live in food-insecure households. That means that 1 in 6 children (17%) may not have consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy life.