Coronavirus Meal Finder: Hungry Kids Can Eat Free In Fairfax City

FAIRFAX CITY, VA – No Kid Hungry’s map shows where Fairfax City kids sidelined from school by the coronavirus crisis can get access to free meals.

Some of America’s kids have never had enough to eat. And now that the new coronavirus has sidelined them from the one place they could count on for a nutritious meal, they’re even hungrier. To fill their stomachs, schools, community partners and others in Fairfax City are coordinating with a national nonprofit group that aims to end childhood hunger.

The group, No Kid Hungry, has just launched a “free meals finder” map that makes it easy for Fairfax City families to find the closest meal distribution site. The map, available in both English and Spanish, is updated daily to reflect new sites where struggling families can pick up a free meal.

The free meal finder map shows there are five meal distribution sites in Fairfax City.

About 29.7 million kids lost access to the free or low-cost meals they received through the National School Lunch Program. Another 14.6 million children had started the day with a nutritious breakfast through the School Breakfast Program. Another 1.3 million kids received an after-school supper.

Schools necessarily had to close to help reduce the spread of the virus, says No Kid Hungry spokeswoman Johanna Elsemore, but it increased the number of kids who would struggle to get enough to eat every day.

“This is exacerbating a problem that was already existing and that we’ve been addressing for years,” Elsemore says. “We know that families are losing jobs and having their wages cut, making it tough for folks already shouldering a lot of burden.”

Food insecurity and real hunger don’t look the same. In food-insecure households, parents often have to decide between buying groceries and paying their utility and other bills. They or older siblings may skip meals so younger kids can eat.

Some 13 million American children aren’t just hungry. They’re suffering from real hunger. Real hunger is painful and can leave kids lightheaded and lethargic. When their brains aren’t fueled, they’re not ready to learn.

“We know that it’s impacting their health, their academic abilities and their likelihood of graduating,” Elsemore says of the effect that hunger has on children. “It’s impacting all of that when they’re missing meals. We know it’s a problem all year long, and that’s why we’re working so hard in normal times to connect kids to school breakfasts and meals in the summer.”

No Kid Hungry is addressing the problem in other ways, too. The organization has sent $7.5 million in emergency relief to 284 schools in 48 states and the District of Columbia. Grant amounts ranged from $1,500 to more than $50,000, and are helping to serve an estimated 2.95 million meals a day during the crisis.

The grants are the first phase in what No Kid Hungry calls a multimillion-dollar response to the hunger crisis. Donations may be made here.