Media Contact: Devin Kathleen Powell (713) 667-4146
For Immediate Release: October 15, 2020

As Thousands of HISD Students Return To Face-To-Face Learning, State Rep. Donates Hygiene Kits And Free COVID-19 Testing To Kids And Parents To Reduce Spread of COVID-19

Houston, Texas: As HISD schools prepare for re-openings and in person classes with students and teachers, State Representative Shawn Thierry (D-Houston) is  getting a head start on reducing the risk of community spread at schools.  Rep. Thierry will be donating free hygiene kits and free COVID-19 testing to over 100 kids and their families this Friday, October 16, 2020 in the Southeast portion of her District, where she was born and raised.

“From the onset of this pandemic, I have been concerned about the disparate number of COVID-19 cases in our communities of color. As thousands of children and faculty return to public schools on Monday, I  am leveraging the resources at my disposal to help reduce the risk of infection,” stated Rep. Thierry.

HISD safety measures will require that all students wear face coverings throughout the duration of the school day.  “Our free hygiene kits include a week’s worth of face masks for children, KN95 masks for their parents, hand sanitizers, hand soaps, fresh pre-packaged toothbrushes and more. We will also be providing free drive-through COVID-19 testing for parents and children.”

Rep. Thierry has assembled a local coalition, including: Pastor Kevin Fredrick, Pastor Terrance Hall, Bishop Roderick Johnson, Rev. James E. Nash, Pastor Kenneth Rose, a non-profit, Houston Society For Change, and local orthodontist, Dr. Heather Brown, in this timely effort to reduce the community spread of COVID-19 in District 146. Many neighborhoods, including the community of Sunnyside were deemed “hot spots” during the height of the coronavirus outbreak in Harris County.

“The Houston Independent School District is the largest school district in the state. We have never experienced anything like the COVID-19 pandemic, and every day and week presents new challenges. This is just another way to help offset the financial strain of hardworking families My top priority is to keep our communities as safe as possible during this challenging time,” explained Rep. Thierry.

The free Hygiene Kits and free COVID-19 testing site will take place at Mount Vernon Baptist Church, 3618 Stassen Street, Houston, TX 77052 on this Friday, October 16th, at 11 a.m. The event will serve 100 families and all distributions will be occur via social distancing guidelines.   The hygiene kits will be placed in the trunk of each vehicle and the COVID-19 testing for children and parents will be administered via drive- thru.

Representative Shawn Thierry is a Democrat from House District 146, which encompasses greater Southeast and Southwest Houston. She serves on the following House Committees: Transportation, Land and Resource Management and House Administration.  She was born and raised in her district, and has been a practicing attorney for 24 years.