Adan Ballesteros' Community Outreach Initiative has done many positive things for the city throughout the years. Recently, Constable Ballesteros' office organized a food drive to benefit and support the Burnet Middle School Family Resource Center Food Pantry and AVEY (Austin Voices for Education and Youth).
With rising housing costs in Austin, many AISD families find supplying the basics a struggle. AVEY’s four food bank locations, in partnership with the Central Texas Food Bank, can make the difference. In the 2017-18 school year, AVEY has distributed over 100,000 pounds of food to 1,100 families, including fresh produce, eggs and milk.
Located at Family Resource Centers at Burnet, Dobie and Webb Middle Schools, as well as at the For the City Center in St. John, the twice monthly food banks provide fresh food and staples to over 500 families each month. Families are also enrolled by AVEY staff in adult education and parenting classes, as well as screened for other needs, including employment, health and financial needs, including utility assistance. These strategies are key to the reduction in student mobility which directly impacts student academic performance in northeast Austin.
We are pleased to partner with these organizations to help out families in need in our communities.