Under a cloudy sky, Interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan greeted Westbury High School students and their parents on the first day of the school year.

But instead of navigating blue and grey painted halls that would normally be crowded with students, she and new Principal Jerri Nixon were busy handing out pre-packed meals to Westbury families in the parking lot.

As students across the district return to school virtually, HISD Nutrition Services is offering daily curbside pickup for breakfast and lunch meals at 86 strategically located schools, including Westbury.

“With learning virtually, we still worry about students’ nutritional needs being met,” Lathan said. “I am very thankful that we are able to host sites like this across the district. Our Nutrition Services staff is willing to do everything they need to do to make sure that our children do not go hungry.”

The no-cost meals are available to any child from ages 1 to 18, with curbside pickup available at the 86 locations every school day from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Families can pick up one breakfast and lunch meal per student per day. Parents must have proof of enrollment in any school district for children who are not in the car.

“It’s very important because some parents cannot financially afford to feed their students,” Nutrition Services Operations Manager Sheryl Hickman said as she helped hand out meals to cars waiting in line at Westbury. “This is a great way to relieve some of that financial stress for parents during this time.”

For Principal Nixon, the curbside program is vital to the Westbury community, where many students depend on having a breakfast and a lunch provided to them.

“It’s one of the ways we can help our families during these difficult times. We want everyone to have a good start to the year,” said Nixon, who was named principal this year after serving five years as assistant principal at the school. “This is not the normal first day of school that anyone expected. But we are prepared. We’re here to serve our kids.”

For more information on student meals offered at digital learning centers and a complete list of curbside pickup locations and times, visit HoustonISD.org/StudentMeals.