School districts address food insecurity and foster resilience

In a field a few hundred feet from a suburban Fort Worth, Texas school, sits a building that looks temporary in nature

But what was once a portable classroom is now a lifeline for students

They pretty much have everything that you would want to shop for

Fresh fruit, milk, diapers, formula, bread, meat, they have it all. Welcome to Thrive Market at O.D. Wyatt High School

Half of the time, no one knows what single mothers like myself go through

Alicia Odom is a single mom of five children. Things were really rough

Didn't have a job, wasn't able to keep a job due to being a single mom with no support

She felt hopeless. Not realizing her son, Brandon, may be the answer

He's experiencing trauma and growing up, being raised by a single mother with younger siblings

It was really rough, really rough. He was constantly getting in trouble

not making the right decisions, following the wrong crowd, and it was very stressful on top of not being able to provide you know food wise School counselors reached out to Odom and introduced her to the Thrive Program

which stands for Together Harnessing Resources to Give Individuals Voice and Empowerment

We saw a need to provide food, but it was really more than that

because we wanted to teach students how to handle stress in a positive way

instead of turning to all the negative stuff. So we added, we kind of married those two things together

So we brought in a resiliency program along with the grocery stores

Once a teen joins the program, they get right to work. Counselors work with the student on life skills

like handling conflict better instead of just resorting to violence. Teachers also offer extra support with their schoolwork

When the student shows good behavior and good grades, they earn vouchers they can use at the on-campus store

a store they also help run. The Odom family's situation is not unique

The latest data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows 13 of U households report food insecurity Of those households more than 7 million children are affected Research shows food insecure children are more likely to suffer poorer health and more

frequent colds, which leads to absenteeism. That data also shows these children typically score

lower in math and reading. So I think the most exciting part is that it's not just food insecurity

We're definitely dealing with that through the grocery store, but it's that resiliency program

So what we're hearing from the teachers, what we're hearing from the administrators is the behavior is better

That's the really exciting thing that kids are seeing. There is a better way to do things

There's a better way to handle stress. We can't eliminate all stress

That's just part of life. But we can teach you how to handle it in a proactive way instead of a destructive way

Thrive started in 2019 at Linda Tutt High School in Sanger, Texas

The program was such a success, you'll now find markets in six North Texas schools

Number seven is expected to open very soon. Since Brandon began providing for his family mom says things have dramatically changed around the Odom household There has been a dramatic change with him being here and just being a part of this program and with the teachers

that he's participated with. He is literally blowing my mind right now, so I'm very, very proud

of him. Proud and relieved, as now she knows exactly where her next meal is coming from

and more importantly, that her children are going to be okay. He's actually teaching me now, you know, how to calm and how to address situations

And when I'm thinking the worst, he's like, you know, mom, that's not going to happen to me

I'm going to be fine. I'm going to be okay. Texas Health Resources works very closely with school districts in obtaining grants

A large portion of the food is through community and corporate donations

Texas Health Resources has provided toolkits for interested school districts. You can find this along with further information on food insecurity solutions on the Straight Arrow News mobile app

Thank you to SAN's managing editor and producer Diane Duinez for her research and time spent on this story

For Straight Arrow News, I'm Kara Rucker