Fauquier Reaches for Excellence in School Health (FRESH), in collaboration with the county School Nutrition Department, has been awarded two grants to expand meal distribution efforts for families in need.
Months before COVID hit Fauquier County, FRESH was planning to pilot a summer meal program for about 100 children. When FRESH was awarded a $25,000 Make It Happen grant, plans were underway for the summer pilot program. Once the COVID shutdown occurred and Fauquier County Public Schools began serving thousands of meals each week, it became clear that the pilot wasn’t going to meet the needs of our community. As the pandemic continued into the summer, available grant funds were reallocated to support the efforts of the School Nutrition Department, assist Fauquier FISH with the distribution of Weekend Power Packs, and provide fresh local produce to families in need.
Meal options for families have increased tremendously since the 2020-21 school year began. Hot meals are available for pick-up at 16 schools, pre-packaged meal bundles are available for pick-up via a drive-thru service at nine schools, and 16 school buses deliver meal bundles to 66 locations throughout the county. To support meal expansion and distribution efforts of Fauquier County Public Schools, No Kid Hungry recently awarded FRESH and the School Nutrition Department a grant for $41,592. “We really appreciate our partnership with FRESH as well as the support they have provided during the pandemic and throughout the school year,” said SueAnn Fox, School Nutrition Director for Fauquier County Public Schools. “They have been wonderful!”
Cold storage will be installed into FCPS vans used to deliver meals and transport food to schools. When the vans are not in use by the School Nutrition Department, FRESH will use them for community events. “We are thankful for the opportunity to support our School Nutrition Department in providing meals to all children in Fauquier County,” said Kristen McAuliffe, FRESH Supervisor. “They have worked non-stop since the pandemic hit, continuously increasing production to ensure no child in our community goes hungry.”
To learn more about meal distribution times and locations. Click here or contact FCPS School Nutrition at 540-422-7220.
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