Coronavirus Update

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Children’s Hunger Alliance remains committed to helping feed children who have lost access to meals as a result of the coronavirus crisis. We are working closely with community partners to help fill the immediate needs of children in Ohio.

May 19, 2020 Update

• USDA has extended national waivers under authority granted by R. 6201 providing the flexibility for non-congregate food service, meal service times, meal patterns and allowing parents and guardians to pick up meals for their children. The waivers originally set to expire June 30, 2020 are extended through August 31, 2020. Grab-and-go meal service will continue to be provided at school and community locations across the state throughout the summer. A full list of locations in Ohio providing meal service for children can be found by clicking here.

• Governor Dewine announced last week that licensed child care centers and family childcare providers will be able to re-open on May 31 under sanitation guidelines and limited classroom sizes set by the administration. CHA is working with daycare centers and family childcare providers to resume participation in the USDA Child and Adult Care Food Program to provide healthy meals and snacks for children in their care.

• We continue to partner with schools and community organizations to offer one or more meals to children in need. Continue to check out our Map a Meal Site for additional food distribution locations!

March 31, 2020 Update

• USDA has issued additional national waivers under authority granted by R. 6201 that provide the flexibility for meal patterns, allowing parents and guardians to pick up meals for their children (without a child being present), and extending deadlines for schools related to Community Eligibility Provision (CEP). All waivers extend through June 30, 2020, or until the expiration of the federally declared public health emergency.

• CHA sponsored child care centers and family childcare providers who applied for and were approved to operate under the pandemic license are continuing to participate in the USDA Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), providing nutritious meals and snacks to children in their care.

• We continue to partner with schools and community organizations to offer one or more meals to children in need. Continue to check out our Map a Meal Site for additional food distribution locations!

March 23, 2020 Update

• USDA has issued three new nationwide waivers using the authority granted by H.R. 6201, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. These waivers provide the flexibility necessary for child nutrition programs to continue operating and serving children while limiting the spread of COVID-19. These include: allowing flexible serving times and non-congregate service across all child nutrition programs and waiving the enrichment requirement for afterschool programs. All waivers extend through June 30, 2020, or until the expiration of the federally declared public health emergency.

March 20, 2020 Update

• Ready-to-eat meals will be distributed Mondays-Fridays outside 3 Columbus Metropolitan Library branches during the library closures related to the coronavirus pandemic. Any child 18 and under will be able to pick up two meals to take home. Click here to read more about locations and times meals will be served.

• Ready-to-eat meals will be distributed to children outside most of Cleveland’s recreation centers while the centers remain closed during the emergency shutdown. The grab-and-go meals are available Saturday, March 21 and Saturday, March 28 from noon to 1 p.m. and Mondays-Fridays from 4-5 p.m. Meals will be available at all city recreation centers except Kovacic, Cudell Fine Arts and Camp Forbes. Click here to read more.

March 19, 2020 Update

• 18,000 ready-to-eat meals – initially intended to be distributed to children before the start of their spring break – have been re-distributed to 27 community partner agencies across Ohio to help feed children impacted by the pandemic. Click here to read more.

• USDA has approved the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) to allow the flexibility for schools to serve non-congregate meals during the mandated school closures related to the coronavirus pandemic. Details here on ODE’s website.

• The President signed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, a package of policies designed to help communities respond to the coronavirus outbreak, including funding for emergency provisions that include food aid for low-income families. For CHA, this will allow CACFP sites (afterschool sites, family childcare homes, and daycare centers) to serve meals in a non-congregate setting and waive meal pattern requirements if there is a disruption to the food supply as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. We are awaiting additional guidance from ODE on all of the flexibilities that will be provided.

• CHA has been approved by ODE to become an approved emergency food provider under the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) in locations where 50% or more of the children qualify for free or reduced-priced meals.

CHA staff will be available to assist schools and other community partners in any way possible to provide food access for children during closures related to the COVID-19 outbreak.

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