HISD’s Audene Chung and Amanda Oceguera listen to Student Congress representatives’ request to help less fortunate Houstonians.

When Houston ISD’s Student Congress visited the district’s Nutrition Services production facility recently, a new partnership to help feed the hungry in Houston was born.

In May, the Student Congress lobbied Nutrition Services to make food donations to Second Servings, an organization that collects and donates leftover food. While Nutrition Services is unable to donate school lunches, it did find a way to make donations through its catering kitchen operations, and the district recently signed a charter to donate leftover food.

“HISD Nutrition Services is pleased to assist with feeding the hungry, and we’re happy to be working with the Student Congress to help those in need,” said Audene Chung, senior administrator for Nutrition Services.

Second Servings works with school districts, hotels, caterers, cafeterias, restaurants, convention centers and sports arenas with significant food leftovers that can be donated to charitable meal providers.

HISD Nutrition Services serves more than 280,000 meals each school day.