Giving back, PI-ISD style: School district gives away 1,100 meals

Otilia Castro (right) speaks with PI-ISD Superintendent Theresa Capistran while picking up Thanksgiving meal bundles for her grandchildren. Photo by Gaige Davila.

By Gaige Davila
editor@portisabelsouthpadre.com 

Hundreds of cars lined Port Isabel’s schools last Friday to receive much-needed help for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. 

Point Isabel ISD gave 1,100 meal bundles for the Thanksgiving holiday break, to feed students each day they are not on campus, spanning from Monday Nov. 23 to Friday Nov. 27. The meals were evenly distributed among Port Isabel High School, Garriga Elementary and Derry Elementary, th

Angela Olivares (right), PI-ISD’s Child Nutrition Director, and PI-ISD Child Nutrition Department staff prepare to distribute Thanksgiving meal bundles. Photo by Gaige Davila.

e three campuses 

Seven meal bundles were provided to each student who arrived for the curbside meal distribution, one for each day of the break. Parents and guardians alike appreciated the gesture, as they have since PI-ISD began the curbside meal distribution program in March.

“My daughter has six kids, so it comes in handy,” Otilia Castro, a grandmother with six grandchildren at Garriga Elementary, told the PRESS as she picked up her Thanksgiving meal bundles. “It’s a big help to the families.” 

Angela Olivares, PI-ISD’s Child Nutrition Director, said the turnout, though higher than expected, was welcomed.

“We’re really fortunate to have been able to provide these meals for our kids,” Olivares said. “A lot of our students rely on our meals.” 

Pre-packaged food from PI-ISD’s Thanksgiving meal bundles. Photo by Gaige Davila.

H-E-B in Port Isabel and Brownsville (Central Boulevard location) provided durable, reusable bags to hold the several cold, pre-packaged meals included in a bundle, Olivares said, which included half gallons of milk, chocolate milk and orange juice.

“It takes a lot of planning,” Olivares said. “The managers and the team, it’s a lot of hard work, and I thank them for all their hard work and efforts.”

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