After California Governor Gavin Newsom and Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond said schools across California will remain closed for the rest of the academic year due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, No Kid Hungry California announced providing more than $680,000 in emergency grants to 20 nonprofit organizations and schools across the state that are finding new, innovative ways to provide free meals to children and families safely during this crisis.
“Children and families across California rely on schools – not only for their education, but also for nutritious meals. In this time of crisis, No Kid Hungry California is proud to support the hard-working nonprofit organizations and schools that are stepping up to ensure kids can continue to get the nutrition they need,” said No Kid Hungry California State Director Kathy Saile.
In total, No Kid Hungry has sent more than $5.3 million in emergency grants to 191 organizations – including schools and school districts, food banks and food pantries – in 44 states across the country and Washington, D.C. With the help of this funding, programs plan to serve hungry kids 2.1 million healthy meals a day during this crisis. On Friday, No Kid Hungry hosted a national #ThankAHungerHero Tweet Storm to celebrate the incredible people – including teachers, cafeteria staff and volunteers – who are working tirelessly to make sure kids are getting the meals they need despite school closures.
Here are a few examples of how emergency grants are being used in California:
- San Francisco Unified School District: Purchased equipment for 18 sites where they are distributing meals to kids in need.
- Oakland Unified School District: Hired drivers to stock community food distribution centers where families can pick up free meals for children.
- Rosemead School District: Serving kids a free, hot supper at Muscatel Middle School, in addition to a free breakfast and lunch. The district can serve an additional 400 meals a day as a result of the grant.
- Chino Valley Unified School District: Serving as many as 8,000 sack lunches a day to children in need through curbside pick-up for families.
- Robla School District: Supporting meal delivery to 45 locations, including school bus stops, front door drop-offs for special needs students, and alternative deliveries for homeless students.
- Sacramento City Unified School District: Feeding approximately 21,000 free breakfasts and lunches twice a week through 31 meals sites across the city.
- Coalinga Huron Unified School District: Packing grab-n-go breakfasts and lunches for 4,500 students every day served at three drive-thru sites in the community and delivered to children in rural communities.
- Heart Matters Foster Family Agency (Grand Terrace): Feeding more than 100 children living in foster care three meals a day, plus a snack.
- Autism Society Inland Empire: Helping vulnerable families get groceries so they can stay safely at home during this crisis.
Additional examples of how organizations in California and nationally are using grant funds may be found by clicking here. To make a donation to No Kid Hungry in support of these emergency grants, please click here.
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