INGLESIDE, Texas — A food pantry at Ingleside Primary School is providing crucial support to families facing financial hardships, especially as the community prepares for Thanksgiving.
Kristal Herbert, an Ingleside ISD parent, has been depending on the school's food pantry to help feed her family during challenging times. She emphasized how her household faces multiple medical and financial obstacles that have made basic necessities difficult to afford.
"My husband is going blind, she's going blind, my father-in-law has stage four bone cancer… it's like a lot… it's a lot," Herbert said.
The pantry has become essential for Herbert's family, particularly after they experienced a six-month gap in SNAP benefits that left them struggling to put food on the table.
"It's so much help on us, it helps us a lot, especially now because of the last 6 months we weren't receiving any SNAP," Herbert said.
During the most difficult periods, Herbert's family had to make tough choices about what they could afford to eat.
"There's times where we wouldn't even eat meat because we just couldn't afford it," Herbert said.
Herbert is among more than 10,500 people in San Patricio County who receive SNAP benefits, and her family continues to feel the impact of previous benefit disruptions.
Ingleside ISD established the food pantry specifically to address the needs of struggling families in their community. When the pantry's shelves recently ran empty, community members stepped up with donations just in time for the holiday season.
"We were hoping to get over 50 turkeys, we have over 150. You can see shelves are stocked now and that's all from donations from the community," said Mindy Petty, assistant principal at Ingleside Primary School.
The district serves approximately 2,000 students, and for families like Herbert's, the pantry ensures they can celebrate Thanksgiving with dignity.
"Happy… at least we know now that we're going to have a turkey and we're going to have to eat and stuff like that," Herbert said.
If your family is part of Ingleside ISD and you need a little help, just head to inglesideisd.org to see the pantry distribution schedule.
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