Free breakfast and lunch are on the table this summer for any child under 18 in Fort Worth, as Fort Worth ISD opens select campuses to serve weekday meals while school is out. The program starts tomorrow and runs through Thursday, with meals available today through Thursday. District leaders say the goal is simple: to keep kids fed when the regular school-year safety net disappears.
According to Fort Worth ISD, serving times are staggered by school level. Elementary students can get breakfast from 7:40 to 8 a.m. and lunch from 12:05 to 12:35 p.m. Middle school sites serve breakfast from 7:50 to 8:15 a.m. and lunch from 12:40 to 1:10 p.m. High school campuses offer breakfast from 8:30 to 9 a.m. and lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. Children do not need to be enrolled in summer programs, or even be FWISD students to receive a meal.
Participating sites include several high schools, Carter-Riverside, Arlington Heights, Eastern Hills, Polytechnic, Paschal and O.D. Wyatt, along with a mix of middle and elementary campuses across the district. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram has laid out the full list of schools and serving schedules in its coverage.
A Summer Lifeline In A Hungry Region
Hunger remains a stubborn presence across North Texas, and summer is often the most fragile stretch for families who count on school cafeterias during the year. Feeding America notes that child food insecurity stays elevated in parts of Texas, and the Tarrant Area Food Bank reports heavy and continuing demand for assistance in the greater Fort Worth area.
How Families Can Get Meals
Families can look up nearby sites and serving times at Summerfood.org or by calling the statewide information line at 877-TEX-MEAL. The district improvement plan shows that about 85% of FWISD students are considered economically disadvantaged, a number officials say highlights why summer feeding is not a luxury but a necessity (FWISD District Improvement Plan). For local questions, families can contact FWISD’s Child Nutrition Department at (817) 814-3500…