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 early days of the pandemic.
When the coronavirus-related shutdowns hit Rochester in early March, Foodlink, a food bank operating in ten counties in New York, knew that they needed to pivot their programming to provide meals to their community. With a single day of preparation, Foodlink worked with the Rochester City School District and city government to create a meal program with distribution points in key areas in Rochester, serving 5,000 meals the first day.
As the pandemic progressed, Foodlink increased distribution sites by working with the YMCA and a local transportation company. By using donated buses, Foodlink was able to create mobile meal distribution routes in underserved neighborhoods. The mobile delivery routes served 850 meals per day, ensuring that kids in Rochester had access to the food they needed while school buildings were closed. As part of the mobile meal distribution, Foodlink hired youth to be meal ambassadors on the food trucks. This was the first job for many of the youth meal ambassadors, and they cited how good it felt to be able to help kids in their communities, and to be able to make a difference during such a hard time. The youth meal ambassadors were also able to build relationships with the kids and parents along the bus routes. One youth ambassador met a mother who was crying tears of gratitude. She said that she hadn’t known how she would get food for her kids, and seeing the bus was such a relief.
A Foodlink staff member preparing meals for distribution.
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.