AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin Independent School District is scheduled to host a wiffleball event on Sunday to benefit AISD families affected by the USDA SNAP benefits shutdown.
The event will be held at Nelson Field, located at 7105 Berkman Drive, from 5 p.m.-9 p.m. The entry fee to participate is $10 per person, or one bag of non-perishable groceries, according to AISD.
KXAN Midday Anchors Will Dupree and Avery Travis spoke to organizers, LASA head football coach Eric Martanovich, and Campus Athletic Director Gary Howard.
The two talked about the motivation that prompted them to participate in this event.
“I think we knew there was going to be a really big impact on the district’s students. We have approximately 73,000 students in Austin ISD, and more than half of them are economically disadvantaged. The impact of this could be very significant. The impacts it will have in the classroom, family life, and all the other things that go along with normal life,” Martanovich said.
Organizers also talked about where resources will go after the event ends on Sunday.
“The plan is to distribute it to the campus so they can distribute it to families,” Howard said.
If you cannot attend the event, you are encouraged to have non-perishable groceries delivered to your neighborhood school, Martanovich said.