Need help with food costs? Back-to-school resources for Houston-area families
30+ Houston ISD schools lose automatic free lunch
Families at 33 Houston ISD campuses now have to submit individual applications for their children to receive free or reduced-price lunch during the 2026–27 school year. FOX 26's Karys Belger shares what parents should know and resources that can help.
HOUSTON - As families purchase school supplies, clothing and other back-to-school necessities, food assistance organizations are reminding parents that help is available if grocery and school-meal costs are stretching their budgets.
Houston food insecurity
Big picture view:
The Houston Food Bank says many households have little flexibility after paying rent, utilities and other fixed expenses.
Katherine Byers, the organization’s government relations officer, said food often becomes one of the only expenses families can reduce.
"You either pay your rent or you don’t. You pay your utilities, or you don’t," Byers said. "But with food, you can water down the milk, you can stretch those meals out, or you can buy cheaper, less nutritious food."
The Food Bank’s latest 2024 data shows child food insecurity has increased to approximately 28% in Harris County. Across its 18-county service region, the rate is approximately 25%.
Here are resources available to Houston-area families who need help.
Houston ISD meal help
Why you should care:
Families at 33 Houston ISD campuses must submit individual applications for their children to receive free or reduced-price lunch during the 2026–27 school year.
Breakfast will remain free for every HISD student, regardless of eligibility.
What you can do:
HISD encourages families to apply even if they are unsure whether they qualify. Students must have an approved Meal Benefits Application on file before receiving free or reduced-price lunch.
Families can access the application through HISD’s Student Meals page.
Anyone who needs help completing the application can contact HISD’s Student Eligibility and Accountability Department.
The Food Research & Action Center warns that the application process may be difficult for some families. Households with multiple jobs or fluctuating income may struggle to accurately report their earnings. Language, literacy and concerns about sharing financial information can also discourage eligible parents from applying.
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Find a nearby food pantry:
Families needing immediate food assistance can enter their ZIP code into the Houston Food Bank’s Find Food Map.
The map includes hours, locations and information for nearby food pantries, meal programs and distribution partners. The Food Bank recommends contacting a pantry before visiting to confirm its hours, available services and eligibility requirements.
Families can also ask their child’s school whether it participates in a Houston Food Bank school market or another child nutrition program.
For questions about finding food assistance, call 832-369-9390.
Get help with benefits:
The Houston Food Bank’s Community Assistance Program helps families apply for, renew or make changes to several public-benefit programs.
Navigators can assist with:
- SNAP
- TANF cash benefits
- Children’s Medicaid
- CHIP
- CHIP Perinatal
- Women’s health programs
- Medicare savings programs
The program offers assistance in English and Spanish, with interpreters available for other languages. Walk-ins are accepted.
- Phone: 832-369-9390
- Location: Houston Food Bank, second floor
- Address: 535 Portwall Street, Houston, TX 77029
- Hours: Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; the fourth Friday of each month from 8 a.m. to noon; and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Meals for young children:
Kids’ Meals provides free, healthy meals year-round to eligible Houston-area families with young children.
Meals are delivered directly to families’ homes Monday through Friday. The organization also provides grocery bags and connects households with additional assistance involving employment, budgeting, health care and early-childhood education.
CEO Beth Harp said Kids’ Meals will attend 12 back-to-school community resource fairs this weekend to explain its services and reach families who may qualify.
"We’re going to be at 12 community resource fairs this weekend that are back-to-school fairs and just letting Houstonians know, if you are in need of our services … we are here for you," Harp said.
Families can check their eligibility and apply through the Kids’ Meals "Need Help" page.
Applicants generally must:
- Have a child age 5 or younger in the household
- Meet the income or public-benefit eligibility requirements
- Live within the organization’s delivery area
- Complete an application
Receiving meals through Kids’ Meals does not affect a family’s other benefits.
- Phone: 713-695-5437
- Client email: Clients@kidsmealsinc.org
- Phone assistance: Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Why families must apply:
The 33 affected HISD campuses will not participate in the federal Community Eligibility Provision, or CEP, during the 2026–27 school year.
CEP allows eligible schools to provide free meals to every student without collecting individual applications. Instead, schools use existing data from programs such as SNAP and TANF to identify students who are automatically eligible.
Erin Hysom, senior child nutrition policy analyst at the Food Research & Action Center, said universal meals also help working families who struggle with food costs but earn too much to receive free or reduced-price lunch.
"We know that food insecurity affects people above that federal poverty level—that there are millions of children across the country who are food insecure but don’t qualify for a free or reduced-price meal," Hysom said.
FRAC’s latest Community Eligibility report shows 4,932 Texas schools participated in CEP during the 2025–26 school year, serving more than 2.7 million students.
The Source: Houston ISD; Katherine Byers, Houston Food Bank; Erin Hysom, Food Research & Action Center; Beth Harp, Kids’ Meals; FRAC’s 2026 Community Eligibility report; Houston Food Bank; Kids’ Meals.