Hunger Busters’ Mission

Providing Third Meals to Food Insecure Dallas ISD Students

Hunger Busters is a Dallas-based charity focused on Feeding Kids and Fueling Futures by providing a much-needed third meal of the day to food-insecure children in the Dallas Independent School District (DISD) through our “Feed the Need” after-school program.

We Are Not a Food Bank

Hunger Busters is not a food bank, and we do not serve soon-to-be-expired or damaged food.  All of our meals are made daily and served fresh to the children. As the students dismiss for the day – teachers, volunteers and the school staff ensure that the students take home a quality meal that is tasty and healthy.

How We Feed Kids & Fuel Futures

Hunger Busters provides 350,000 meals to 11 DISD schools and 6 after-school programs. With the help of committed volunteers, continuing and new corporate partners and donors, Hunger Busters takes a big bite out of Dallas’ childhood hunger epidemic.

Hunger Busters is a non-profit organization that receives private donations. We operate on private funding along with corporate grants.

Well-Nourished Children Do Well

When children are properly fed, the benefits are felt by them and everyone around them, both inside and outside of the classroom. With the right nutrition, behavioral issues lessen, grades get better, test scores increase, and even a student’s emotional wellbeing improves. It’s difficult for many children to concentrate while in school given the endless distractions available today, but imagine trying to pay attention while you’re starving. This is a reality faced by thousands of students every single day, and it ripples into our society at large.

Countless studies have shown that a chronically-underfed child is much more likely to perform poorly at school, which may lead to fewer opportunities in the future, or they could drop out altogether so they can simply work to get the support they need. But, when a child is given the fuel they need to maximize their scholastic potential, this leads to more success, more confidence, more opportunities, and more prosperity for them and Dallas in general. A healthy, well-fed child makes everyone’s lives better, both now and in the future.

Meet the Hunger Busters Team

Coordinating the thousands of meals, preppers, and programs connected to Hunger Busters is quite the task, but it’s one that our team is more than ready to meet. Combining a true passion for service along with years of non-profit experience, our team knows how to take ideas and turn them into realities that truly transform lives.

Trey Hoobler

CEO

Trey Hoobler began his career in 2003 in real estate, and this took him all around the world, from Mexico to Europe and everywhere in between. Eventually, after spending years managing corporate portfolios, he decided to make a change and follow his passion by doing something that truly helps those who need it the most. He joined Florida State University in 2007 and was asked to assist in the creation of an intercultural dialogue program that focused on university bound students. In 2014, he made his way back to Dallas, becoming the CEO of Hunger Busters.

In 2014, he made his way back to Dallas, becoming the CEO of Hunger Busters. To date, he has increased private donations an impressive 30% annually, started a grants program, and raised over $125,000 from individual foundations as well as $1.2 million that was awarded from the Crystal Charity Ball. Under his tenure, food production has increased upwards of 200%, and it’s expected to grow at an even faster rate in the coming year.

Jason Garza

Production Manager & Volunteer Coordinator

To say that Jason Garza is a busy man would be a gross understatement! He leads our sandwich production and delivery programs, which involves making and distributing at least 350,000 meals each year to DISD schools. He also coordinates all of our fundraising and volunteer events. He is personally responsible for feeding thousands of children all around Dallas, and thanks to his efforts and logistical expertise, he’s helped our outreach consistently grow so we can better uplift the community one healthy meal at a time.

Peter Swanson

Data Manager

Running Hunger Busters is much more complicated than just making a ton of sandwiches and handing them out to children. In order to figure out who needs food assistance, where, and how it should be applied all comes down to having the right data, and that’s where Peter Swanson is an expert. Peter is the CEO of Bowtie Business Intelligence and 501ops, a DFW-based technology company that helps for-profit and nonprofit organizations collect, extract, store, and analyze mountains of data. Thanks to him, we’re able to provide services exactly where they’re needed so they can make the most impact, maximizing every donated dollar and volunteer hour to the fullest.