Lunches of Love’s race to feed thousands of kids across Fort Bend County
Lunches of Love in Rosenberg helping fight childhood hunger
Lunches of Love in Rosenberg provides regular meals to more than 3,500 children across 53 schools and three school districts. FOX 26's Olivia Dance spoke to the people who help ensure kids don't go hungry.
ROSENBERG, Texas - In 2009, Lunches of Love began as a targeted effort to feed 150 children facing empty pantries at a single elementary school. Today, the reality looks drastically different: the organization now provides regular meals to more than 3,500 children across 53 schools and three school districts.
For children who depend on free or reduced-price cafeteria meals to get through the week, weekends, holidays, and summer breaks represent a crisis. When classrooms empty out, childhood hunger spikes, leaving thousands of families in Fort Bend County scrambling for basic nutrition.
Benefits to school districts
A surge across districts :
Following the passing of founder Adriane Mathews in 2023, her sister Elizabeth stepped in to direct the organization, facing a scale of community demand that continues to climb each year.
To keep pace with the intensifying need, Lunches of Love has expanded into two dedicated distribution hubs:
- Rosenberg Site: Serves 2,863 children across 47 schools throughout Lamar CISD and Needville ISD.
- Sienna Site: Opened in 2016 to meet growing suburban poverty, serving 700 children across six schools in Fort Bend ISD.
Among the schools on their delivery route is Adriane Mathews Elementary, which opened in 2023 and is named in honor of the founder of Lunches of Love.
Rising costs:
When Lunches of Love first started packing lunch bags, each meal cost about 75 cents to assemble.
Today, grocery inflation and packaging expenses have doubled that figure to $1.50 per meal.
How to help Lunches of Love
What you can do:
Lunches of Love operates almost entirely through donations and volunteers. With increasing demand, volunteers and donations are always needed and can make a big difference.
$8: Provides a child with five sack lunches and cereal for the weekend.
$32: Feeds a child for one full month during the summer through free bagged lunches and cereal for the weekend.
Volunteer Your Time: Lend a hand assembling lunches, decorating brown paper meal sacks, or organizing distribution routes.
You can visit Lunches of Love to find out how you can help.
The Source: Information from this article was provided by Lunches of Love. Reporter Olivia Dance spoke with the organization's director and visited the site.