How Arlington PTAs are helping address student food insecurity

There’s apple sauce and pasta in a tiny cabinet on the side of Hoffman-Boston Elementary in Arlington, Virginia.

The food cabinet remains unlocked 24/7 and is available to students, with the goal of making sure no child goes hungry.

The school’s PTA is also working with a food rescue group, with the goal of procuring leftover items from bakeries or farmers’ markets.

PTAs and parent teacher student organizations across Arlington have long considered ways to help students who might be experiencing food insecurity. But in recent months, in the aftermath of the government shutdown and uncertainty surrounding Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, they’ve stepped in to address the increased need.

“What we found is that schools were coming to PTAs, realizing there’s a lot more need right now,” said Claire Noakes, president of the Arlington County Council of PTAs. “It’s really increased, and so PTAs have tried to almost be a triage in the situation, to rapidly respond in creative ways.”

The responses have varied, but Noakes said at least 20 PTAs and parent teacher student organizations have stepped in to help.

Since November, Long Branch Elementary’s PTA has been giving food bags to families in need. It has also partnered with Troy’s Kitchen to connect families with hot meals for the weekend.

Discovery Elementary’s PTA has organized a gift card drive to assist families. And Claremont Elementary’s PTA has prioritized covering meals during school breaks.

“Many of our PTAs have been doing food distribution for years,” Noakes said. “It’s just part of understanding that there is a large and unmet need. Because of grocery prices, because of uncertainty with SNAP benefits, what we saw is there was just such a broad-based need more recently. Within the last month or so, people have been turning up the dial quite high.”

In some cases, that’s meant requesting donations, working canned foods drives, collecting donated gift cards and collaborating with school social workers. The groups also work alongside community organizations, such as the Capital Area Food Bank, too.

“The impact right now is triage,” Noakes said. “It’s just to try to address the immediate needs.”

Before the pandemic, Noakes said Arlington Public Schools distributed what she described as “student-friendly food” to kids. But the program paused during COVID closures, Noakes said, “and it didn’t really restart.”

Noakes said many distribution sites are at or near schools, so it’s easy for kids and their families to access.

There’s also an emphasis on “student-friendly food,” which she described as “food that even young children can eat and consume and prepare without much work. You could maybe have a single-serving item, mac and cheese, you pour some hot water, you microwave it, a young child can prepare and get food in their stomachs.”

Community members can help address student hunger and food insecurity by volunteering with or donating to a PTA, Noakes said.

“Reach out to the elected officials and to the superintendent and let them know that child hunger is a really critical issue to them, and that more needs to be done,” Noakes said.

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