At a time when many are scouring food pantries to make ends meet, more than 1,000 meals were provided to families of students in need, thanks to a local philanthropist, a lawman, and a legendary Houston restaurateur.
Co-founder of local educational nonprofit organization To Educate All Children (TEACH), Susan Sarofim, partnered with Harris County Constable Alan Rosen and Houston fine dining guru, Tony Vallone, to distribute meals to families of Houston Independent School District kids.
At the event, staff from Tony’s — including the venerable Vallone and his wife, Donna — joined TEACH staff and Precinct 1 personnel to hand out the nutritious meal kits. Along with Vallone and his staff were Sarofim, Rosen, Assistant Chief Deputy Carl Shaw, and Nory Angel, TEACH’s executive director.
Each kit, supplied by Tony’s, fed a family of four and included a roast chicken, mashed potatoes, seasonal vegetables, and dessert.
The program is supported by Constable Alan Rosen and the Harris County Precinct 1 Constable’s Office. The precinct provided safety, security, and traffic control services during the meal pickups. “This is an important initiative during these challenging times and I am proud to be a part of this effort to ensure families have enough to eat,” said Constable Rosen, in a statement.
“The important fact to remember is more than 90 percent of children attending HISD schools qualify for the free or reduced-price lunch program. Just in the schools TEACH serves, that is more than 10,000 students,” said Sarofim, in a statement.
“Simply put, without school, many children are going without food. Therefore, TEACH and Tony’s joined in creating this community-based project with HISD to provide nutritious meals to as many of these children as we can. Therefore, contributions of any amount are greatly appreciated.”
Constable Alan Rosen, Susan Sarofim, and Tony Vallone.
