AUSTIN, Texas – Schools in the Austin Independent School District are officially closed until at least April 3 due to the spread of coronavirus. But even though school is out, students are still get balanced meals at select campuses throughout the district. 

More than 20 million students in the U.S. rely on free or reduced-price meals at school, and these programs help reduce food insecurity by roughly 4 percent. 

Karina Torres Diaz is a cafeteria manager at Govalle Elementary School in Austin and says that providing food for students in need is part of why she loves her job. 

“I love cooking. Food is my ultimate passion," said Diaz, who says it's why she pursued it as a career. 

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Last year, Diaz took a job as the cafeteria manager at Govalle Elementary. 

“Children, just seeing their expressions every day… They just all have a place in my heart," said Diaz. "They're the next generation. They’re the ones that are going to provide for us and build the economy, build the world, and so it’s very important that we nourish them and show them what good food is, and what good nutrition is.”

According to The Texas Tribune, nearly 91 percent of Govalle’s student body is economically disadvantaged. The school provides these students with three free meals a day. 

“They need food security, they are in need of nutritious meals, and so this specific school is eligible for every child gets to eat for free… And they do heavily rely on that, eating for free, each meal," said Diaz. 

But with the spread of COVID-19, AISD suspended school, leaving many wondering where their next meal would come from. 

Starting Monday, select campuses including Govalle are running curbside pickup meal service for their students. 

“They had spring break, we also had a food bank that these students could go to for food security and more food access. But now, during this time where this pandemic is going, it’s reached or impacted our students a lot more than we can ever imagine," said Diaz. "We want to ensure that all of our students do have food access, a healthy food access for the time that, you know, they are dealing with all of this.”

She said she hopes it also provides a sense of security and stability for students during these uncertain times. 

“I want them to see that, you know, we are still here for them as they’re still here as well, so I want them to get a more positive outlook on this and not see, you know, all the troubles that are happening around us," said Diaz.