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SNF Launches Initiative to Support COVID-19 School Meals
2020-04-01
Fundraising campaign will provide grants for emergency feeding needs
ARLINGTON, VA – The non-profit School Nutrition Foundation (SNF) has launched the “Help Feed School Kids Now!” fundraising campaign to support school nutrition professionals’ emergency feeding operations during COVID-19 school closures. SNF will award grants to schools to address urgent needs due to the transition from traditional cafeteria service to grab-and-go meal pick-up and delivery models.
“On a typical school day, 30 million students depend on school meals as a key source of nutrition, and school nutrition professionals have been working around the clock to ensure vulnerable students don’t go hungry during COVID-19 school closures,” said SNF Board Chair Julia Bauscher, SNS, who also serves as Director of School and Community Nutrition Services at Jefferson County Public Schools, KY.
School meal programs operate on extremely tight budgets, funded by cafeteria sales and reimbursements for meals served. With revenue declines due to closures, many school meal programs lack critical funds to purchase necessary equipment and supplies or cover transportation, temporary staffing and other costs associated with COVID-19 feeding programs.
“This pandemic has forced school meal programs to overhaul the way we serve our students,” said Bauscher. “SNF is stepping up to help meet immediate needs for everything from food and packaging for grab-and-go meals to mobile carts and kiosks that allow for curbside meal service. We want to support our school nutrition heroes as they work to reach more students with healthy meals during this crisis.”
SNF’s fundraising campaign will support grants to meet emergency feeding needs. Applications will be accepted starting on Monday, April 13 and awarded on a rolling basis based on the volume of funds raised.
The School Nutrition Foundation (SNF) is an independent 501(c) (3) and the charitable arm of the non-profit School Nutrition Association (SNA). Since 1964, SNF has supported school nutrition professionals nationwide through scholarships, research and professional development programs.
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