On March 18, 2020, Governor Cuomo announced that school buildings across New York would close due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many nutrition directors and nonprofit leaders only had a few days to figure out how to provide food in a new socially distanced world. Despite these challenges, school districts and community organizations made incredible adjustments to their programs and were able to serve meals to their communities during the crisis. We’re pleased to share the stories of actions taken by some of our grantees during the earliest days of the pandemic.
In upstate New York, the Akwesasne Boys and Girls Club shifted from providing multifaceted afterschool programming to becoming a meals program for the 250 kids in their community that they serve. The Club works with children on the St. Regis Mohawk Reservation, which straddles New York and Canada. Following the COVID-19 outbreak, transportation bans between the United States and Canada made it difficult for residents of the reservation to access their usual food supplies and support networks, making the Club’s work even more critical.
Though local school districts were offering weekday meals, they were unable to send meals home with children for the weekend days. Jessica Cree-Jock, Executive Director of the Club, and Myra Lafrance, Associate Director, knew that they needed to provide weekend meals to kids in the community and fill this crucial gap. With the help of a new stove funded by No Kid Hungry, the team was able to make and send home 26,000 meals, which surpassed the number of meals the Club served in all of 2019.
Jessica has been coordinating meals for a grandmother and grandson. Due to physical limitations, the grandmother is unable to drive or cook meals, so Jessica delivers meals to them. When Jessica came to their house to deliver the Club’s home-cooked meals for the child, the grandmother said, “You don’t understand how much of an angel you are.” Myra has had similar experiences. She delivered meals to a family who said that it felt like Christmas when she came to the house to provide meals.
A healthy meal distributed by the Akwesasne Boys and Girls Club
These stories are mirrored in communities across New York and throughout the nation. No Kid Hungry New York is grateful to all the hunger heroes who have adjusted their plans at the turn of a dime to feed kids in their communities. Their dedication and tireless work have ensured that kids have the nutritious meals they need to grow up healthy and strong.