GENYOUth's End Student Hunger Fund

Since the COVID-19 Emergency School Meal Delivery Fund’s launch to date, GENYOUth has received a total of 13,094 applications requesting $37,587,556 in grant funding. Of applications received, 28% have requested support for transportation and serving food; 23% have been for cold storage; 22% have been for sanitation; 12% have been for stipends; 9% have been for preparation; and 6% have requested funding for other needs. To date GENYOUth has awarded $9,120,000 in microgrant funding to 8,110 schools across the country.

In the 2020-21 school year, we anticipate that schools will continue to need support from public and private entities. In fact, since June 1, 2020, GENYOUth has received 695 new applications to the COVID-19 Emergency School Nutrition Fund from schools that require assistance for their meal programs, indicating that there is still a great need for additional resources and equipment to serve meals to students safely. Additionally, the School Superintendent Association (AASA) launched its second national coronavirus school response survey in May 2020 to provide federal, state and local policymakers with immediate data on how districts are adapting and responding to prolonged closings, the resources and information superintendents are relying on or still need, and the initial financial implications associated with the pandemic, as well as re-opening schools this summer/fall. A summary of key findings related to GENYOUth’s COVID-19 Emergency School Nutrition Fund are as follows:

• When asked what, if anything, their district is doing to address equity during the COVID-19 Pandemic, respondents replied “pickup/delivery of free and reduced-price meals” (96%);

• When asked what, if anything, their district is finding hard to provide equitably during this time, respondents answered “pickup/delivery of free and reduced-price meals” (12%); 

• When asked what, if any, contracts their district has that are not being fully realized because of the pandemic, respondents reported “food/nutritional services” (21%); and

• When asked what costs they are most concerned about due to COVID-19), respondents were replied “costs related to providing food services to students off-site” (22%). 

GENYOUth thanks you for your support of our COVID-19 relief efforts to support the safe preparation and delivery of nutritious meals to school communities across the United States.

Links:

• Always Heroes Video
• GENYOUth COVID 19 Impact Report