Category Archives: Nutrition Services

Curbside pickup service to be available, social distancing required at district food distribution sites

The Houston Independent School District and the Houston Food Bank will offer curbside pickup service at all 36 food distribution sites districtwide beginning March 16 to help promote personal health and social distancing.

Families who do not have transportation and must walk to the site can continue to stand in line but will be required to stand six feet apart from each other. HISD Police and staff volunteers will be on site to enforce these measures and help with crowd control.

“Social distancing is a key measure we must implement to prevent the spread of COVID-19, so adding curbside pickup and keeping lines spaced out are important steps,” said HISD Interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan. “Thanks to our partners at the Houston Food Bank and our police and staff volunteers, we are able to safely distribute meals to our families in need during this time.”

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HISD expands number of food distribution sites to 36

In response to high demand on Saturday, March 14 at Chavez High School, HISD, in partnership with the Houston Food Bank School Market program, will offer daily food distribution at 31 additional campuses beginning Wednesday, March 18 and continuing through Friday, March 20.

The five campuses previously scheduled to serve as food distribution locations will remain unchanged on Monday, March 16 and Tuesday, March 17.

“After witnessing first-hand, the enormous need in the community at our first distribution site, it was clear that we needed to increase our efforts to help more families in partnership with the Houston Food Bank,” said HISD Interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan. “Our top priority right now is doing our part to ensure that our children are being fed during these unprecedented times, and I am thankful to all who are stepping up to serve families.”

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HISD to operate daily food distribution sites during districtwide closure

HISD, in partnership with the Houston Food Bank School Market program, will offer daily food distribution at five area high schools, beginning Saturday, March 16 to Friday, March 20.

A sixth high school will host a one-time food distribution site on Saturday, March 14.

The measure is being implementing to ensure all HISD families, many of whom have students who depend upon school meals, have access to healthy food while the district is closed.

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HISD takes home 26 TSPRA awards for communications, community engagement efforts

The Houston Independent School District’s Communications department earned top honors for its work in communications and community engagement during the 2020 Texas School Public Relations Association Annual Conference in Austin.  

The accolades covered nearly all facets of communications, including writing, videography, graphic design, marketing, branding, and special events.  

“As the storytellers of HISD, we are passionate about sharing the inspiring stories of our resilient students, hard-working teachers, and empowering leaders,” said Chief Communications Officer Rebecca Suarez.  “I am extremely proud of our Communications Team for their creative lens and clear focus on promoting the district’s strategic priorities to help student succeed.”   

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Wiggins selected as one of Education Week’s 2020 Leaders to Learn From

HISD Nutrition Services Officer Betti Wiggins has been selected as a 2020 Leaders to Learn From by Education Week, a weekly publication highlighting issues in education across the nation. 

Wiggins is one of 12 honorees for 2020. She was selected for the distinction based on her leadership in food services and equity.   

“I’m so proud of the work we’ve done in HISD Nutrition Services surrounding food equity. Food literacy and inclusion ensures students have more than a consumer relationship with food,” Wiggins said.  

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HISD ranked seventh in the nation for school breakfast participation

For the second consecutive year, the Houston Independent School District has been ranked one of the top 10 school districts in the nation for highest student participation in the federal School Breakfast Program.  

HISD ranked seventh in the nation and second in the state for the number of low-income students who participate in both the School Lunch and School Breakfast programs, according to the Food Research & Action Center’s 2018-2019 School Breakfast: Making it Work in Large School Districts report released Thursday.  

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Nutrition Services offers tips to help student athletes better fuel their bodies

When it comes to meeting the nutritional needs of HISD students, Nutrition Services’ work isn’t limited to the cafeteria. Their efforts go beyond the plate and all the way to the athletic field.  

Nutrition Services Dietitian Nan Cramer and Chef Trainer Brittany Jones recently visited Delmar Stadium to serve up samples of green power smoothies — a tasty blend of apple, banana, soy milk, kale, no-nut butter, and vanilla extract — and to educate coaches, players, and parents on the impact of proper nutrition on athletes.  

He eagerly sampled the smoothie and gave his approval. 

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Nutrition Services special events planner supports staff, students


Special Events Planner Nicole Bean supports staff and students through her role with Nutrition Services.

Special Events Planner Nicole Bean has always been an organizer at heart, and that’s how she approaches scheduling and planning events in HISD’s catering department Houston Eats. 

Bean is responsible for planning and overseeing events and creating the orders for them. Her attention to detail and ability to accommodate the needs of Houston Eats’ customers has proven to be an asset in her role.  

“If you have 30 schools that want something all at the same time, it’s physically hard to be at all those places,” Bean said. “We only have so many delivery vans, so we have to be really creative in how we schedule. We also offer pickups. We really do try to accommodate everybody.” 

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HISD agriculture specialist teaches students how to grow food

Agriculture Specialist Kierra Goosby spends much of her day outside, surveying and preparing school gardens for students to grow vegetables from seed to harvest. 

Goosby’s passion for nutrition education began when she was teaching her family about healthy eating practices. Now, she shares with students what she’s learned over the years. 

“It’s hard to explain in words the level of excitement they feel about planting seeds or watching them sprout,” Goosby said. “They’re excited about each step of the process. It’s very rewarding.” 

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Business Operations donates holiday meals to Henderson ES families

Growing up during the late 1970s and 1980s in Houston’s South Park neighborhood, Chief Operating Officer Brian Busby and his childhood friends could never tell that anyone around them was going without or in need.  

It wasn’t until he was an adult, he said, that he came to understand more about some of the choices that his family had to make — like always cooking at home and never eating out — to stay within their budget. 

“There are a lot of families that go without food during the holidays,” Busby said. “It’s important for us to do what we can do address their needs, especially during the holiday season.” 

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