Azle Community Caring Center Food Pantry

Needs

According to the July 2026 press release from the Tarrant Area Food Bank, Texas has a child food insecurity rate of 26.1%, with 1,995,810 children (1 in 4) facing hunger.

Each weekend, many children in the Azle ISD go home to an uncertain future - unsure if there will be enough food to eat.

In partnership with Azle ISD, we are working hard to change that with Weekend Backpack Meals. This program provides nutritious, shelf-stable food for children that have been identified by school counselors as chronically hungry.

Each backpack is provided to students before the weekend, supplementing the food they receive at home. Students return to school on Monday ready to learn, and not distracted by hunger.

Last year we distributed an average of 180 backpack meals per week to food insecure students in Pre-K through 8th grade.

Your donation helps the program grow as Azle ISD continues to grow, making sure every needy child has the food they need.

Thanks to the Communities Foundation of Texas, 100% of transaction and technology fees are covered—which means every dollar you give goes directly to filling backpacks with food for a hungry child.

This year, your impact is even greater: anonymous donors are matching all gifts up to $15,000! That means your donation will be doubled, helping ensure that no child spends the weekend hungry.

"Over my 12 years as an AISD counselor across three campuses, I’ve seen firsthand how access to food transforms a child’s world. When we send our Eagle Heights Backpack Buddies home each Friday, we are delivering so much more than just a bag of non-perishable meals—we are offering security, self-resilience and giving families one less worry.

In a world where economic struggles place heavy burdens on our families, these backpacks fill critical gaps. I’ve watched our students quietly rely on this program for reasons no child should have to carry alone: the young caregiver using the food to make sure their toddler sibling gets fed; the child whose parent works exhausting night shifts; and the student navigating a home impacted by substance abuse, who now has the simple, life-changing ability to feed themselves when they need to.

Our parents and kids are beyond blessed to belong to a community that rallies around them so fiercely. Backpack Buddies ensures that when our students walk out of our doors on Friday, they know their school family is still looking after them. In our district, we live by the belief: every student, every chance, every day. Programs like weekend backpack meals, aka “Backpack Buddies” prove that those aren't just words on a wall. It proves to every child that they are seen, valued, and that no matter what their weekend holds, they will not go hungry." - Melissa O., Azle ISD Counselor