FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | JUNE 16, 2020
Contact: Jessica Ng | jng@mercuryllc.com | (510) 508-2836
No Kid Hungry Provides $2.8 Million in Emergency Grants to 107 California Nonprofits, Schools Serving Free Meals During COVID-19 Pandemic
Urges Governor Gavin Newsom, Legislature to Approve $63.2 Million in State Funding for Emergency Meals
Pasadena, Calif. – As part of No Kid Hungry’s ongoing effort to ensure all children in California remain healthy and nourished during the COVID-19 pandemic, the campaign today announced an additional $1.5 million in emergency grants to 66 more nonprofit organizations and schools across the state. The funding will support new, innovative ways to provide free meals to children and families safely during this crisis and in its aftermath. In total, No Kid Hungry has provided $2.8 million in grants to 107 organizations across California since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
Given the disproportionate impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on vulnerable communities and the negative impact hunger has on children’s academic outcomes and health, No Kid Hungry is working to ensure kids across the state have the food they need both during this crisis and in its aftermath through a combination of emergency grants and strategic assistance. The campaign is also advocating for approval of $63.2 million in state funding for emergency meals, which the California State Legislature announced as part of its budget earlier this month.
“Hunger heroes in communities across the state are making a huge difference in children’s lives, and we’re proud to support their work with more than $2.8 million in emergency grants. That said, we know this pandemic is taking a grave economic toll on families across the state, and these grants are only one part of the broader COVID-19 response and recovery effort now underway,” said No Kid Hungry California State Director Kathy Saile. “Many school districts that have been on the frontlines during this emergency have exhausted their nutrition budgets, and they need additional resources to support their operations. We’re grateful that the California State Legislature has proposed to provide $63.2 million through the state budget to ensure these districts can continue providing meals safely through the summer and into next school year, and we urge the Legislature and Governor Newsom to approve this critical funding.”
A new report from Feeding America projects California will see a bigger increase in child food insecurity resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic than any other state in the nation, estimating that a total of 2.2 million kids in our state could face hunger this year. Last month, No Kid Hungry called on California Governor Newsom and the State Legislature to prioritize food access for vulnerable families and their children in the state budget. In January, Governor Newsom proposed a $70 million increase in funding for school nutrition programs in the 2020-21 state budget; however, his May Revision of the budget reversed this funding. At the federal level, No Kid Hungry is also urging Congress to increase SNAP benefits to help families across the nation weather this crisis while also stimulating the economy.
No Kid Hungry recently made grants to the following organizations in California:
Northern California
- New Haven Unified School District
- San Francisco Unified School District
- West Contra Costa Unified School District
- Life Learning Academy
- San Leandro Unified School District
- Vallejo City Unified School District
- Del Paso Foundation
- Galt Joint Union High School District
- Tahoe Truckee Unified School District
Central California
- Community Action Partnership of Kern
- Kings Canyon Unified School District
- Tulare Joint Union High School District
- Panama-Buena Vista Union School District
- Lamont School District
- Mammoth Unified School District
- Turlock Unified School District
- United Way of Kern County
- Visalia Unified School District
- Foodbank of Santa Barbara County
Southern California
- Alhambra Unified School District
- Boys & Girls Clubs of the Los Angeles Harbor
- El Rancho Unified School District
- Lennox School District
- Mountain View Elementary School District
- Camino Nuevo Charter Academy
- Catholic Charities of Los Angeles, San Pedro Region
- Compton Unified School District
- Gabriella Charter School
- Help Me Help You
- KIPP SoCal Public Schools
- LA Promise Fund
- Ontario-Montclair School District
- SEE-LA (Sustainable Economic Enterprises of Los Angeles)
- The Los Angeles Academy of Arts and Enterprise
- The Volunteer Center South Bay-Harbor-Long Beach
- YMCA of Metropolitan Los Angeles
- Anaheim Union High School District
- Tustin Unified School District
- Community Action Partnership of Orange County
- El Sol Santa Ana Science and Arts Academy
- Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County
- Coachella Valley Unified School District
- Moreno Valley Unified School District
- Rotary Club of Sin Fronteras
- Ventura Unified School District
- Conejo Valley Unified School District
- Nyeland Promise
- Catholic Charities of San Diego
- Heber Elementary School District
- High Desert Second Chance
For additional details about what grant funds will be used for, as well as a full list of grants made in California, please click here.
Nationally, No Kid Hungry has worked with 876 schools and community groups across all 50 states, Puerto Rico, Guam, and DC, providing more than $19.6 million in emergency COVID-19 grants to date. In recognition of the hard work being done by school nutrition professionals, custodial staff, bus drivers, teachers, parents and volunteers in communities across the state, No Kid Hungry also recently inducted 328 Californians into its League of Hunger Heroes.
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