Conroe students saved, sponsored, and stuffed to assist Leander ISD recover from disaster

THE WOODLANDS, TX – The Conroe Culinary SkillsUSA chapter spent months gathering school supplies and other necessities for students affected by the summertime natural disasters that befell the students of Leander Independent School District.

Conroe’s Culinary SkillsUSA program is a group for students in the Conroe ISD’s Culinary Arts program. The program allows students to compete in SkillsUSA culinary and barbecue competitions at district, state, and national levels, as well as other community and industry events. The chapter has advanced to state and national levels and has also been involved in numerous community service projects.

Isabella Quiroz, student and district chair for the Conroe Culinary SkillsUSA chapter, approached Woodlands Online with the story of this disaster relief, saying, “I’m looking to encourage other students to seize their moment.”

Quiroz and her fellow team members created Stuff-A-Bus, a student-led initiative to collect school supplies for students who were affected by natural disasters.

“This year our initiative was focused on assisting the Texas students who were hit by the Hill Country floods,” she told Woodlands Online. “Many of these students’ families lost basic essentials, and as students ourselves we understood the stress of the back-to-school season. For those families to balance basic needs with resources for a proper education was something we wanted no family to face.”

Stuff-A-Bus ran from July to October, where the chapter members collected backs, school supplies, new clothing, and more.

“In the end, we were able to collect more than 1,300 supplies and up to $500 in monetary donations,” Isabella said. “All of our supplies were delivered to all students in need at Leander ISD.”

Members of the chapter, including Isabella and her compatriot Onika Jones, visited Glenn High School in Leander ISD, where they got the opportunity to meet with the principal, Josh Haug, and take a tour to meet the students they helped.

“We plan for Stuff-A-Bus to go far beyond our high school careers, and we would love to see it grow to the national level, as well as encouraging other young leaders to risk boldly and build their community,” said Isabella.

When not rescuing students from disastrous consequences of natural disasters, Isabella and the chapter participate in culinary and barbecue competitions, with recent examples including the ‘Meat Freaks’ barbecue team advancing to the state level. They also compete in events like the Texas ProStart Invitational. The chapter participates in community events like Taste of the Town and The Woodlands Art Festival. Students can advance from local chapter competitions to district or regional events, then to the state level in the spring, and finally to national competitions. Competitions evaluate skills such as organization, knife skills, cooking techniques, presentation, sanitation, and the quality and flavor of the food.