Frisco | January 2024

From the cover

Nonprofit feeds FISD students

Sorting out details

The big picture

Fastpacs, she said. “As adults, when we’re hungry, it’s hard for us to focus and concentrate,” Davis said. “Imagine a child that is not yet able to identify their feelings or communicate the concerns they have.” If it weren’t for the meals provided by Fastpacs, some FISD students would not eat on the week- ends, Cook said. By minimizing that barrier to learning, she said students have the opportunity to be creative and imaginative. “Students who are hungry and don’t have basic living needs met can’t learn because they’re in survival mode,” Cook said. Schulze said she remembers a struggling sixth grader who had consistent behavioral issues at school. After receiving Fastpacs as a seventh grader, his behavior in class improved, she said. The free or reduced-price lunch program does not mean a student is food-insecure. However, being part of the program can be a factor to receive Fastpacs’ weekend meals

Fastpac’s first 35 packs went to Shawnee Trail Elementary and were assembled in Schulze’s living room, she said. An anonymous donor was able to provide a storage unit for a few months in late 2013 before the nonprofit was able to move into a larger, climate-controlled unit in 2014. “That was our very humble beginning,” Schulze said. As the number of students served across the district has increased, so has the cost to make each of the nonprofit’s seven-meal packs. Fastpacs provides four types of packs, including one with snacks, a vegetarian pack, a pack with meat protein or a custom pack for high schoolers. One weekend pack cost roughly $5 in 2013, Canterbury said. Providing the same pack costs around $11 in 2023 due to the rising costs of food and inflation, she said. The nonprofit has been instrumental in support- ing FISD students, Davis said. The school district wants students to be able to focus in class daily, which it accomplishes through its partnership with

Frisco Fastpacs has seen significant growth in its decade-long history with an over 3,600% increase in students served from 2013 to 2023, according to Fastpacs’ data. Fastpacs helps ensure FISD students have access to food, school board President Dynette Davis said. When students register for school, parents indicate whether they’re eligible for free and reduced-price lunch, said Stephanie Cook, managing director for guidance and counseling services. Counselors are also able to refer students based on need, such as financial hardships. “That has been a huge service that [Fastpacs] supplies to us in our community,” Cook said.

Frisco Fastpacs’ reach Frisco Fastpacs has expanded from one Frisco ISD school in 2013 to all 77 campuses in 2023.

2013

2023

Schools served

The price to provide students with the food they need for the weekend has more than doubled since 2013, Executive Director Heather Canterbury said.

Students fed

2013

Fastpac’s meal packs contain:

Meal cost: $5

1,348

breakfast items

fruit 1

veggie 1

proteins 3

Fastpac’s meal pack price increased 120%

273

Meals delivered

31,164

pastas, rice cups or soups

2023 Meal cost: $11

snack crackers 3

desserts 3

SOURCE: FRISCO FASTPACS/COMMUNITY IMPACT

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