Northwest ISD dad tackles student hunger one snack at a time
NORTH TEXAS — A dedicated dad in Northwest ISD is tackling food insecurity one snack at a time.
Matt Barker has spent the past few years leading a community effort to ensure students at his daughter's school don't go hungry during the school day.
Now, his initiative has grown so large that he's providing thousands of snacks to multiple schools in the district.
"It was just an idea, and we made it happen," Barker said.
He had already spent a few years donating food to the homeless in Fort Worth when he realized, there was a need everywhere, including at his daughter's school, J. Lyndall Hughes Elementary.
"When I first put out the word, I did not expect what happened," he said.
What started with snacks for one school has now expanded into providing thousands of snacks for students in four different Northwest ISD schools, largely thanks to community donations and social media outreach.
"I set up a meeting with the principal and counselor, and they said there was a huge need," Barker said. "I put out the word to the community, and I did not expect what happened. It's enough to make a grown man cry for sure," Barker said.
According to the North Texas Food Bank, one in five children in North Texas experiences food insecurity. That's while numbers from Feeding America show hunger among children in Tarrant County has increased by 5% since 2021.
At Hughes Elementary, the impact is clear.
"We have kids that come in every day, hungry," said school counselor Shelby Russell, adding that the rising costs of living and inflation have increased the need.
"We do have kids that normally haven't been on our radar coming down and getting snacks."
Barker's initiative, though born out of a simple idea, has become a crucial source of support. He hopes it will continue to grow.
"We're hoping eventually to be able to provide snacks for all the other schools," Barker said. "As the donations come in, the love spreads."
For more information, you can contact Baker at Breadandfishministries47@gmail.com.