Hays CISD received a grant of $12,600 in December to be utilized by its HaysHope2Go program, a volunteer-run program that is dedicated to helping food-insecure children and families throughout the school district.

The grant was awarded by No Kid Hungry, a national campaign run by Share Our Strength, a nonprofit that serves to end hunger and poverty both in the U.S. and abroad.

Texas is one of the priority states within the U.S. that NKH invests a lot of resources, time and staff, according to the director of NKH Stacie Sanchez Hare.

“Part of our work in Texas [is] we offer quarterly grant opportunities. We primarily engage school districts, school nutrition departments, food banks and local community based organizations who help bridge the gap out of school when students don’t have access to meals,” Hare said. “We approach that work through the lens of equity and really thinking about ‘Where are the largest meal gaps? What are the demographics of those populations?’”

Since the onset of the pandemic, which Hare said was a time the program demand ramped up, NKH has granted $7 million statewide to over 120 organizations.


HopeHays2Go was founded as the pandemic hit in March 2020 by Hays CISD trustee Esperanza Orosco and her partner.

“We take care of our district and any food insecurity that any of our families may face,” Orosco said. “It was really a godsend that we received this grant when we did.”

This is the second year the HaysHope2Go has been awarded grant funding.

“Our grant last year really helped to provide the infrastructure we needed. We were able to purchase a commercial refrigerator, a commercial freezer and we bought a lot of consumable food. This year they really wanted us to focus on infrastructure. ... We’re purchasing a lot of shelving and storage for our food since [the program] has expanded tremendously. We’re purchasing bins and carts to haul all this food,” Orosco said.


Though the schools offer food to students during the week, to those learning both in-person and at home, the program helps supplement the gap during the weekends and serves more than 250 students.

“We continue to expand our program to meet the needs of our students and families,” Orosco said.

She added they also provide groceries to families in need in addition to meals to students.

Prior to HaysHope2Go, Orosco also founded the Hays CISD Clothes Closet in 2019 to provide clothing, personal hygiene products, paper goods, cleaning supplies, school supplies and more.


All the information needed for either service is the student’s name and ID number.

HaysHope2Go and Hays CISD Clothes Closet are both located at 3839B E. FM 150, Kyle. Those interested in supporting either program can donate food, clothing and money as well as purchasing items from the programs’ Amazon or Target wishlists.