Local diner helps make sure kids have a meal with school dismissed for the summer

According to Feeding America, 1 in 6 children in Texas are facing hunger
Local diner helps make sure kids have a meal with school dismissed for the summer(CBS7)
Published: Jun. 2, 2023 at 5:22 PM CDT

ODESSA, Texas (KOSA) - Although summer is a celebration for countless kids, it can also be a very tough time, kids that rely on school for a meal every day lose.

According to Feeding America, 1 in 6 children in Texas are facing hunger.

Many of those kids depend on free food from school breakfasts and lunches.

With that and inflation on the rise, Addies Diner is helping out with free food.

Natalie Garcia, the co-owner of Addies Diner, is familiar with the pangs of food insecurity.

“Sometimes we’d eat cream of chicken out of a can with crackers and I mean that was our meal,” said Garcia

Garcia was raised by a single mother who had to work three jobs to take care of Garcia and her two siblings.

Experiencing that struggle, and seeing how hard her mother worked, Garcia wanted to make sure other single parents who are in the same boat as Garcia’s mom know they have a way to feed their kids.

So Addies Diner is offering free meals during the summer to remember Garcia’s mom.

“So, we just carried on her legacy basically and we’re doing it for the children because we know what it is to struggle,” said Garcia

And there is still a struggle today for many families across the region.

Over the last decade, the West Texas food bank has seen an increase every summer in food insecurity because of the consistent rise in inflation and the increasing cost of living here in West Texas.

The food bank has regular activities, especially during the summer, to help households across the region.

“You know also the other thing is we’re doing fun events this summer. Tomorrow, we have the kid’s farmer market that’s happening here at the Midland campus for the West Texas Food Bank. You can bring your kids out and get as much produce as you want. We’ll have eight or nine vendors here doing education. There’ll be games. All kinds of stuff” said Libby Campbell, Chief Executive Officer of the West Texas Food Bank

Both ECISD and MISD are offering programs this summer for students by offering meals.