BEAUMONT, Texas — Vidor Independent School District and the Vidor Rotary Club are teaming up, as they have done for many years, to fight food insecurity in the community throughout the summer.
The feeding program, which is closed on Fridays, runs from June 3 - June 27, 2024.
"They're just grateful, you know that they get a meal," Vidor ISD Nutrition Director, Jody Benoit said. "I mean, we've seen some cry."
Summer feeding sites will open at Oak Forest Elementary, Vidor Junior High School and Vidor High School from Monday - Thursday starting on June 3.
Breakfast will be served from 7:15 a.m. - 8:30 a.m. and lunch will be served from 11:30 a.m. - 12:45 p.m.
Meals on the campuses are open to anyone in the community with children from 2-years-old through 18 eating for free. Adults are also welcome but must pay $3.10 for breakfast and $4.75 for lunch.
If transportation is an issue, the Vidor Rotary Club has a plan to feed the stomachs and minds of the kids.
"Our "Green Bus" is a bookmobile and we partner with Vidor ISD, during the summer to hand out books and meals to those that are in need," said Vidor Rotary Club President Angela Bryant. "A lot of kids think it's the ice cream truck, but they're equally as excited to get the food and the books."
The partnership between the district and Rotary goes way back, according to Bryant.
"The kids are so excited to see the Green Bus," she said. "You don't ever know which they're more excited about, getting the books or getting the meals."
The summer feeding program is vital to the community of Vidor, says Bryan Brassard, Vidor ISD Community Relations Coordinator.
"We have a pretty big food insecurity within the Vidor community," Brassard said.
The Green Bus will make stops at four apartment complexes Monday through Thursday, for lunch only, from June 3 - 27, 2024.
Meals provided by the Green Bus are free for children from 2-years-old to 18-years-old only. Meals are only provided for kids on the bus.
The bus also allows the kids to receive books that they can keep and read over the summer to bridge the learning gap.
Here's where the bus will be stopping for lunch...
- Waterfall Apartments, 205 Vidor Drive, 11 a.m. - 11:20 a.m.
- Honeysuckle Court Apartments, 600 S. Main, 11:25 a.m. - 11:45 a.m.
- Twelve Oaks Apartments 2405 HWY 12, 11:55 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
- Auburn Square Apartments, 1288 N. Main,, 12:30 p.m. - 12:50 p.m.
"It was more of a blessing for me, you know, to see how excited these kids are when they're waiting on that meal," Benoit recalled about the last time she volunteered to work on the bGreen Bus.
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This is a developing story. We will update with more if and when we receive more confirmed information.