FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | April 21, 2020
Contact: Jessica Ng | jng@mercuryllc.com
No Kid Hungry Provides Additional $600,000 in Emergency Grants to California Nonprofits, Schools Serving Free Meals During Coronavirus Pandemic
Latest Round of Funding Brings Total Granted to Nearly $1.3 Million in California, $7.5 Million Nationally
Pasadena, Calif. – As part of No Kid Hungry’s ongoing effort to ensure vulnerable children in California can receive nutritious meals while schools are closed due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the campaign today announced providing an additional $608,825 in emergency grants to 21 more 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.
No Kid Hungry is focused on making sure kids across the state have the food they need both during this crisis and in its aftermath. The organization is focusing their work on a combination of emergency grants and strategic assistance. In total, No Kid Hungry has provided $1.29 million in grants to 41 organizations across California in the past five weeks.
“We are so grateful for the staff and volunteers who are working hard every day – putting their own health and safety at risk – to ensure students across the state can continue to get nutritious meals while staying at home,” said No Kid Hungry California State Director Kathy Saile. “These men and women are truly hunger heroes in our local communities, and No Kid Hungry California is honored to support their work through these grants.”
Here are some of the additional school districts and nonprofit organizations received funding through this latest round of grants:
- Fresno Unified School District: Serving an estimated 42,147 nutritious breakfasts and lunches each day to kids in need while classrooms are closed.
- Lemoore Union Elementary School District: Serving 2,500 breakfasts and lunches to kids.
- The Boys & Girls Clubs of Kern County: Expanding its meals service to five locations serving an estimated 2,285 breakfasts and lunches a day while schools are closed.
- Edison School District (Bakersfield): Fueling buses as they deliver breakfast and lunch to kids across Bakersfield.
- Hope Through Housing: Partnering with National Community Renaissance and feeding 5,000 healthy meals to up to 1,000 at-risk youth living in their housing program across five counties in Southern California.
- Long Beach Unified School District: Serving an estimated 10,000 meals per day at 34 school sites.
- Operation Progress (Los Angeles): Feeding the children of 70 unemployed or low-income families. Many parents have lost jobs in recent weeks and don’t know how they will pay for rent, groceries and other essentials during this time of crisis.
- Inland Valley Council of Churches: Feeding hungry kids an estimated 3,600 meals a day through five area food banks across Pomona, where need for food has skyrocketed.
- Eastside Union School District (Lancaster): Feeding hungry kids an estimated 5,000 meals a day.
- Boys & Girls Club of Fontana: Offering free grab-n-go lunches to kids in need throughout the week.
- Pueblo Unido Community Development Corporation (La Quinta): Partnering with local organizations in the Eastern Coachella Valley to feed hungry children in the community.
- Kitchens for Good: Preparing 40,000 heat-and-eat meals to distribute through the San Diego Food Bank during this crisis.
- Feeding San Diego: Partnering with the San Diego Unified School District and Cajon Valley Union School District to provide lunches for drive-thru pick-up as well as fresh produce and shelf-stable foods to some 1,700 families.
For a full list of grants made in California, please click here.
Nationally, No Kid Hungry has sent more than $7.5 million in emergency grants to nearly 300 organizations – including schools and school districts, food banks and food pantries – in 48 states across the country and Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico. With the help of this funding, programs plan to serve an estimated 2.95 million meals a day during this crisis. 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.
To make a donation to No Kid Hungry, please click here.