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Summer Meal
Nutritious Summer Meals Provided to Children Local to LISD
May 20, 2025 | News & Announcements
Summer Meal Service
Meals will be served Monday through Thursday, June 2-26 and July 7-24, 2025 (not available for the week of July 4th) at the following location:
Knowles Elementary School
Breakfast: 7:30–9 a.m.
Lunch: 11 a.m.–2 p.m.
Bringing nutritious summer meals to Cedar Park and Leander children ensures they have a healthy vacation and return to school ready to learn.
This summer, Leander ISD will connect children 18 and younger and enrolled students with disabilities up to 21 with healthy, no-cost summer meals. The Seamless Summer Option (SSO) is a U.S. Department of Agriculture nutrition program administered in the Lone Star State by the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA). For the children who rely on school meals during the academic year, these meals offer a source of good nutrition when school is out for the long summer vacation.
We hope the community will join us for our:
Kick-Off Party (free books, door prizes and fun activities)
Thursday, June 5: 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Knowles ES – Cafeteria
Leander ISD is one of the nonprofit organizations partnering with TDA to serve meals across Texas. Families are encouraged to use these three tools to find a meal site anywhere in the state:
Call 2-1-1 to speak to a live operator
Visit www.SummerFood.org for an interactive site locator map
Text FOOD or COMIDA to 304-304
Organizations partner with TDA to serve meals in areas where more than 50 percent of children are eligible for free or reduced-price meals in the National School Lunch Program. Eligible sponsoring organizations include schools, faith-based groups, nonprofit summer camps, government agencies and other tax-exempt organizations. All meal sites must be sponsored by an organization that has a contract with TDA.
Summer meal sites help children succeed by providing the nourishment they need to return to school in the fall ready to thrive. This institution is an equal opportunity provider.
Currently our local food pantries are open and generously serving fresh, shelf stable and frozen foods.
Hill Country Community Ministry - www.hccm.org
Reveal Resource Center - www.revealresourcecenter.com
Brighter Days Food Pantry - www.leanderchurchofchrist.org/food-pantry
Central Texas Food Bank - find food now - www.centraltexasfoodbank.org
Pantry locations, times of service, are all on their websites. Some restrictions apply. Please refer to the organizations website for current information.
Our Mission
To provide nutritious food to children and alleviate hunger through education and connection to community resources.
Donations:
Like all 501(c)(3)s, our mission is backed by the generosity of our donors. Donations can range from $5 to $500 or more, and of course, food! To keep our bags full, we are constantly in need of some staples. Please click below to see our exhaustive list:
Testimonials:
"A mother told the school Registrar that she was so thankful for the weekend food bags. She said she had been eating every other day so that her kids had enough to eat. Now she did not have to do that."
"My families are SO appreciative of the help with food from the backpack program! THANK YOU !! " - School Counselor
"We really appreciate all that you do for our kids. The kids definitely look forward to getting their bags. They never miss a week." - School Counselor
AS PART OF OUR MISSION OF STUDENTS HELPING STUDENTS :
"The students who volunteer in the LISD Backpack Program are helping out their fellow students in need. The volunteers are learning valuable life skills and job skills. They have learned skills such as communication, teamwork, organization, stocking, sorting, bagging food items, and counting food items for inventory, among many other things. The Backpack Program also helps them learn how to work together as a team, identify different schools in the district, and give to others in need."
JORDAN - IA SPED JOB COACH 18+ SERVICES
Get Involved
Whether it’s donating time, food, or money - we’re always looking for help! There are far too many children who go hungry in our community. Please see below for the different ways you can help make a difference in a child’s life.
Sponsor a school
Take ownership of meeting the needs of one or more schools participating in our program by supplying the food, packing the bags, and delivering them to the school each week. The level of need varies by school and ranges from a handful to 30+ students. We will assist in pairing you with a school that will be a good fit for the level of support you are able to provide.
Volunteer opportunities
Food bags don't pack themselves! Sign up to help pick up food from donors, pack the bags, or drop-off food to schools. Your organizations can also host food drives to encourage the community to get involved and raise awareness. We will assist with coordination, or share some things we’ve learned over the years about fundraising!
Make a Donation
One-time, periodic, or on-going financial contributions allow us to purchase food and improve both the quality and quantity of food we provide in the weekly food bags. Or, by doing the shopping for us, you can save us time and take a more hands-on role in our program.