Blog

Food bank partner Jubilee Housing has continued to serve children throughout the pandemic, providing hot meals and snacks to keep kids healthy and energized year round. Their programs engage children in experiential learning opportunities in science, engineering, art, and math, as well as civic engagement. Just as importantly, the program provides a deep sense of community that extends beyond its building walls.

For most kids and teens, summer is a time for fun. But for kids in our region who don't have food at home, summer can mean long and hot days without enough to eat. Each year through our summer meals program, we provide the nutritious meals kids need to continue growing and learning - even when school isn't in session.

Like so many people this past Spring, Tess Weinreich had her junior year of high school turned upside down when the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic caused classes to move online and extracurricular activities to be cancelled indefinitely. But rather than let these circumstances get her down, the rising senior rallies her community to help support her neighbors in need.

Akiema’s job helps her pay the family’s bills, but it doesn’t leave much left over for food. She used to worry about how she’d make sure her kids got enough to eat, especially over the summer and after school. Today, though, that’s changed. Read more to learn how.

Audrey Walker says breakfast is the “key to giving our kids a kick start for the day.” She should know. As Director of Youth Services at Jubilee Housing—one of the Food Bank’s nonprofit partners —Audrey runs the summer camp where kids are provided breakfast and lunch every day through the Capital Area Food Bank summer meals program.

Principal Clint Mitchell recognizes the distant look in children’s eyes when they can’t concentrate, and he knows that an empty stomach is often the cause. When he came on board at Mount Vernon Woods Elementary School, he got to work making sure his school provided hunger solutions – both during the academic year and the summer months when school is out.

Every day, Cierra Peterson greets each child with a smile as they come through the door at Little Lights, an after-school program that partners with the Capital Area Food Bank to provide nutritious meals to the kids who attend. The daily interactions are special to her, and she knows firsthand how much positive impact it can have on children’s lives.

Providing healthy food to those who need it is an essential part of the food bank’s work, but it’s not the whole story. Pairing that food with education is also important so that people have the ingredients and knowledge to make nutritious, budget-friendly meals. Creating and distributing those recipes, each of which feeds a family of four for $7 or less, is where the food bank’s Nutrition Education team comes in.

Each school day, the food bank helps thousands of kids receive a nutrition meal through our Afterschool Meals program. Learn more about the ways we support bright futures in our area.