Photo: Alice ISD Social Work Department
ALICE, Texas — Today was the final day of operations for the Alice ISD Social Work Department’s food pantry. The service provided food and meals to hundreds of local families in need before shutting down.
The program was a public-private partnership between the school district and Whataburger and was funded through a federal grant. However, as a result of changes made under the Trump Administration, this grant was not renewed for another year which has lead to the end of this vital service.
The Social Department’s future also remains uncertain, as the federal government and Department of Education have massively shifted priorities over the last several months. While nothing has been officially announced yet, Alice ISD has been quietly scaling back the Social Work department for this school year.
The department had been funded through federal grant money over the past several years and the school district was able to expand their services. However, the Department of Education has dramatically scaled back spending which included grants that rural school districts like Alice ISD rely on.
The district has not set a timeline for determining the department’s fate, leaving many to wonder what support will remain after this year.