CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A new report lists Texas as one of the worst states for children during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Save the Children reports among the challenges faced by families during the pandemic include hunger, lack of tools for remote learning and trouble making ends meet.
Some local families say they are unaware or unsure of how to access resources available to them.
“A town over from us did stuff like that but our town did not, not that I know of,” said Alysa Posavac.
Other families say they made it a mission to seek out resources.
“We’re a big family," said Emily Cuestas. "So, financially it's a very good opportunity to come out and share this with the kids so that way they can get a different type of school with hands-on (activities) rather than just reading it out of books,”
The Corpus Christi Museum of Science and History helps provide some of those activities. Included in its offerings are camps and programs like Girl Scout patch programs and home school days. The museum's academy is geared towards providing services for working parents during the school shutdowns, so that students can stay on track with their learning plans and some virtual education programs.
“Our camps, next week March 8-12 we have our Wizarding World of Science," said the museum's education manager, Jonathan Garza.
Save the Children reports that nationwide 69% of families are having difficulty making ends meet and 17 million children are struggling with hunger.
Attempting to lower this number, the Coastal Bend Food Bank says it came up with the backpack program sending enough food for an entire family to last over the weekends.
Call 361-887-6291 to ask questions about the food bank's upcoming distributions or to learn more about what they do to help the community.
In response to the alarming growth in food hardships, the new administration's American Rescue Plan if passed will extend SNAP Food benefits through September. It will also enable more low-income citizens to access the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children known as WIC.
