With at least 124,000 U.S. schools closed and a growing number of students facing food insecurity, dairy farmers in Washington and across the nation and several other organizations are helping to ensure school nutrition personnel have the equipment needed to provide grab and go meals to students.
On March 30, GENYOUth launched the COVID-19 Emergency School Nutrition Fund, available to schools nationwide, to provide $3,000 grants to schools to purchase supplies for meal distribution and delivery as they adapt to new means of delivering healthy meals to our nation’s children, including:
- Equipment for cold storage of milk or other perishable items (e.g., coolers, insulated bags, refrigerators or freezers, etc.)
- Equipment for transporting or serving food or milk (e.g., breakfast cart/ kiosk, travel carts to move food, serving tables, cardboard boxes, paper/plastic bags, etc.)
- Sanitation equipment (cleaning supplies, hand sanitizing dispensers, rubber gloves, etc.)
- Cafeteria equipment for food preparation (e.g., food prep equipment, slicers, etc.)
- Stipends for staff
To be eligible for funding, the school must:
- Be located in the United States
- Participate in the National School Lunch Program
- Include at least one of the grades K-12
- Be located in a recognized “brick and mortar” school building
The grant window opened on March 30 and applications will be approved on a rolling basis. Checks will arrive approximately two weeks after the application is approved. Schools will have the option of choosing a check or electronic transfer, which will provide funds at a faster pace.
Please email info@GENYOUthNow.org with any questions.
If local food banks or organizations are distributing food on behalf of a school or school district, the school will need to be the one to apply for the grant on behalf of the food bank or organization.
Looking to donate instead?
SAP4Kids
GENYOUth and enterprise software company SAP joined forces to create the SAP4Kids Program, which helps families find food and other free resources during this crisis.
Resources include: food, housing assistance, healthcare, financial assistance, and workforce assistance, and a map of the schools who’ve applied for funding nationwide.
Looking for meal services?
OSPI (Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction) has developed a map tool to direct you to the latest information regarding meal services for families in Washington State.
