00:00In a field a few hundred feet from a suburban Fort Worth, Texas school, sits a building that looks temporary in nature.
00:08But what was once a portable classroom is now a lifeline for students.
00:13They pretty much have everything that you would want to shop for.
00:17Fresh fruit, milk, diapers, formula, bread, meat, they have it all.
00:23Welcome to Thrive Market at O.D. Wyatt High School.
00:30Half of the time, no one knows what single mothers like myself go through.
00:35Alicia Odom is a single mom of five children.
00:39Things were really rough.
00:42Didn't have a job, wasn't able to keep a job due to being a single mom with no support.
00:47She felt hopeless. Not realizing her son, Brandon, may be the answer.
00:54He's experiencing trauma and growing up, being raised by a single mother with younger siblings.
01:00It was really rough, really rough.
01:02He was constantly getting in trouble, not making the right decisions, following the wrong crowd.
01:07And it was very stressful on top of not being able to provide, you know, food-wise.
01:13School counselors reached out to Odom and introduced her to the Thrive Program,
01:19which stands for Together Harnessing Resources to Give Individuals Voice and Empowerment.
01:26We saw a need to provide food, but it was really more than that because we wanted to teach students
01:33how to handle stress in a positive way instead of turning to all the negative stuff.
01:38So we added, we kind of married those two things together.
01:42So we brought in a resiliency program along with the grocery stores.
01:48Once a teen joins the program, they get right to work.
01:52Counselors work with the student on life skills, like handling conflict better instead of just
01:56resorting to violence.
01:58Teachers also offer extra support with their schoolwork.
02:01When the student shows good behavior and good grades, they earn vouchers they can use at the
02:07on-campus store, a store they also help run.
02:11The Odom family's situation is not unique.
02:14The latest data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows 13.5% of U.S. households
02:20report food insecurity.
02:23Of those households, more than 7 million children are affected.
02:27Research shows food-insecure children are more likely to suffer poorer health and more frequent
02:35colds, which leads to absenteeism.
02:38That data also shows these children typically score lower in math and reading.
02:43So I think the most exciting part is that it's not just food insecurity.
02:48We're definitely dealing with that through the grocery store, but it's that resiliency program.
02:53So what we're hearing from the teachers, what we're hearing from the administrators, is
02:58the behavior is better.
03:00That's the really exciting thing that kids are seeing.
03:03There is a better way to do things.
03:05There's a better way to handle stress.
03:08We can't eliminate all stress.
03:09That's just part of life.
03:11But we can teach you how to handle it in a proactive way instead of a destructive way.
03:16Thrive started in 2019 at Linda Tutte High School in Sanger, Texas.
03:21The program was such a success, you'll now find markets in six North Texas schools.
03:27Number seven is expected to open very soon.
03:31Since Brandon began providing for his family, mom says things have dramatically changed around
03:37the Odom household.
03:38There has been a dramatic change with him being here and just being a part of this program
03:43and with the teachers that he's participated with.
03:46He is literally blowing my mind right now, so I'm very, very proud of him.
03:53Proud and relieved.
03:54As now she knows exactly where her next meal is coming from, and more importantly, that her
04:00children are going to be okay.
04:03He's actually teaching me now, you know, how to calm and how to address situations.
04:08And when I'm thinking the worst, he's like, you know, mom, that's not going to happen to
04:13me.
04:13I'm going to be fine.
04:14I'm going to be okay.
04:14Texas Health Resources works very closely with school districts in obtaining grants.
04:20A large portion of the food is through community and corporate donations.
04:25Texas Health Resources has provided toolkits for interested school districts.
04:29You can find this along with further information on food insecurity solutions on the Straight
04:35Arrow News mobile app.
04:37Thank you to S.A.N.'s managing editor and producer Diane Duinez for her research and time spent on
04:43this story.
04:44For Straight Arrow News, I'm Cara Rucker.
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