Premont ISD brings back free summer meals for local children

Premont ISD is once again stepping in to help families stretch summer budgets, offering free meals to children 18 and younger while school is out. The district said the program returns June 1, giving parents in Premont and the surrounding rural stretches of Jim Wells and Duval counties a steady source of breakfast and lunch during the longest break of the school year.

The first meal period runs June 1 through June 25, Monday through Thursday, at Premont Early College Academy, 601 Dolores St. Breakfast will be served from 8:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m., and lunch from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Curbside pick-up will be available during the June session, and the district said the child must be present or proof of age must be provided. No registration is required, and questions can be directed to 361-348-3915.

A second summer site is set for July 6 through July 16, Monday through Thursday, at Premont Collegiate High School. The district’s announcement kept the message simple: summer meals are back, and families do not need to navigate a sign-up process to use them. In a community where many households are balancing work, childcare and long drives for basic services, that ease of access can make the difference between catching up and falling behind.

Premont ISD has long served as more than a school system in this part of South Texas. Founded in 1921, the district said it enrolled about 747 students from PreK3 through 12th grade as of December 2024. Its schools serve the city of Premont as well as rural areas across southern Jim Wells County and southeastern Duval County, where school meals often fill a gap that opens when cafeterias close for the summer.

That need is sharpened by local economic strain. Census Reporter estimates Premont’s poverty rate at 27.9 percent and child poverty at 35 percent. Premont ISD also says it continues to operate the Community Eligibility Program under the National School Lunch Program, which allows it to serve breakfast, lunch and dinner to all children at no charge. The district’s summer offering fits a broader state and federal effort led in Texas by the Department of Agriculture and supported by U.S. Department of Agriculture summer meal programs, which are designed to keep children fed when school is out and travel can be a barrier to reaching food.