Schools do more than just educate. They help the community in times of need. I am proud to work for a school that steps up when the need arises. My recent experience with Hurricane Beryl reaffirmed this strong belief.
It was powerful. I was sound asleep in my home in north Houston when the force of Hurricane Beryl woke me up. Within seconds, the power was out, and just like that, I had become one of the 2.1 million left in the dark. With no air conditioning, and a heat index that exceeded 100 degrees, the days were unbearable, and the nights were sleepless. I was thankful that my family was safe, but I could not rest thinking about those families with children in our community who had nothing to eat. I knew I had to help.
As a cafeteria assistant manager at a public school, I had the chance to make a difference. Schools are not just places where children go to learn. They are our strongest community resources, and bear a responsibility to help families, especially in times of need. I connected with my supervisor who was also impacted by the storm. We both shared IDEA Public Schools’ commitment to serve the community. So, we rolled up our sleeves and mobilized to open the doors of our school cafeteria. As many families were still without power seven days after Hurricane Beryl made landfall, we were back at IDEA Spears greeting the children with a smile as we served them hot meals. All three IDEA schools in Houston, IDEA Spears, IDEA Lake Houston, and IDEA Hardy, opened their doors with power fully restored to serve children impacted by Hurricane Beryl.
Thanks to the Child Nutrition Program, we were able to help and serve free, nutritious meals to any child in our community, whether they were an IDEA student or not. This was important to me because I knew there was a need across the community. As a cafeteria worker, I’m aware of the concerning statistics that nearly 1 in 4 children in Texas face hunger. During a crisis like the one we faced in Houston, those statistics rise. But being able to provide some relief to our impacted children serving them good food in our cafeteria warmed my heart.
As I placed apples and cereal in the children’s food trays, I chatted with a few of them and listened to their stories. Many had personally suffered the impact of Hurricane Beryl, like nine-year-old Kevin, whose family lost power and air conditioning for five days. His mother shared that the milk and eggs inside their refrigerator spoiled, and her main worry was making sure her children had something to eat. She was grateful that we had opened our doors, relieving families of the financial burden of feeding their children during this difficult time. Little Kevin was excited about the egg taco he got for breakfast, just as thrilled as he was about eating it inside an air-conditioned cafeteria. Seeing families get some respite from the heat and the lack of power in their homes, while the children were fed, was a double win.
Our schools play an important role in providing children like Kevin help in time of need. They are vital in providing support to our community. My job is my way of giving back to our community and it’s never been clearer to me how much of an impact it has on our community than now, during the devastation of a storm. Hurricane Beryl was indeed powerful. But the powerful force of nature did not leave me and my school community ‘power’ less to serve in times of need.
Maria Aguirre is the Cafeteria Assistant Manager at IDEA Spears in Houston, Texas. IDEA Public Schools believes that each child can go to college. Since 2000, IDEA Public Schools has grown from a small school with 150 students to a network of tuition-free, K-12 public charter schools in theUnited States. Currently, the network serves over 87,000 college-bound students in 145 schools across Texas and its affiliates. IDEA has been recognized in national rankings for The Washington Post, The U.S.Department of Education’s list of Blue Ribbon Schools, and U.S. News & World Report’s Top High Schools lists. In the last 17 years, IDEA has sent nearly 100% of its graduates to college and remains on track to uphold that legacy. IDEA Public Schools’ Seamless Summer Meal program is qualified through the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP).
