Schools across the country are figuring out how to continue getting essential food to kids. We need to understand what’s working and what’s needed.

we are collecting video footage of how school districts are procuring, preparing, and distributing meals.

If you work in school foodservice, are volunteering to distribute meals, are receiving meals yourself or for a family member, or are otherwise looking for ways to help, we invite you to send us a video.

Click the button that best describes you:

If you are not yet connected with school foodservice in your community, consider reaching out to see how you can support their essential work. Many school districts are posting updated information on their websites about how they’re continuing to serve meals to students during this time.

Please note:

We do not currently have funding for this work, and we cannot currently offer any compensation for your time or videos. However, we are working on it and hope to be able to retroactively compensate folks for their work if we do receive funding for this in the future. Please submit this form with your video files so we can reach back out to you.

What will the videos be used for?

Due to the rapidly evolving nature of this pandemic and the changes society is having to make in response, we can’t predict all of the ways in which these videos will be useful in the future. We plan to write a report based on the key lessons learned from across the country, and we will make that report publicly available. We believe learning from what works and what doesn’t during our response to this disaster will be critical in redesigning systems to increase our collective resilience in the future. We further believe that everyone should have access to this information and that communities should hold the power to determine their own paths forward.

FIG may use some of the video footage as part of a larger documentary project about the school food system. By sharing your videos with us, you are granting us permission to use that footage in any future video projects.

Why does this matter?

The COVID-19 pandemic has created unprecedented challenges and countless uncertainties. We are heartened to see people responding to this disaster with creativity and tremendous care. Our systems (e.g., the food system) are being tested in new ways that expose gaps and inequities as well as the resilience of our people and communities.

School districts across the country are rising to the challenge of continuing to provide meals to students while schools are closed. School foodservice staff know that school breakfasts and lunches provide the most reliable source of daily nutrition for many children, and that need will only expand as families face increasing economic hardship due to COVID-19.

The current moment is many things – turbulent, tragic, unprecedented – but it is also an opportunity. We are being presented with a natural experiment, whether we want it or not. And if we’ve been paying attention, we know that terrible, life-altering disasters are likely to arise with increasing frequency as we continue to place strain on the natural environment and accelerate the climate crisis. We have a choice right now: when we find ourselves on the other side of the COVID-19 pandemic, will we work to rebuild our systems as they were before, or will we instead imagine a new reality? Can we redesign our systems to nurture all people and the planet?

Local and national organizations are already doing the important work of gathering information on where kids can access food right now, as well as on the strategies districts are using to meet this critical need. We want to collect video footage to document how districts with varying resources are procuring, preparing, and distributing food to kids. We need to see what’s working, where the gaps remain, and how we can be better prepared to keep our communities fed during the next disaster.

This is an urgent request. We know that schools are likely to remain closed for the next few weeks, and possibly longer. Let’s not miss the opportunity to document what’s happening across the country.

Thank you

Additional resources and ways you can help