At this time of National Emergency, IAATK is committed to serving the 1,000+ families that rely on us for our weekly food distribution. The Feed The Kids Food Pantry will remain open to provide food at this very important time as we expect to provide over 19,000 meals each week in response to this crisis. The kids in our program attend 45 San Diego schools in 25 zip codes, so we are feeding kids all over San Diego county. We are an essential service to our community.
We need your help! We are in need of funds so we may purchase more food to cover the expected increase of families in need. We also want to increase the amount of food we normally distribute to each family due to the closure of local schools. Many of the kids participate in their school's free lunch programs, and the families will not be benefiting from those provided meals. There are a few schools providing free lunches, but unfortunately most of our families will not be able to participate due to distance, scheduling and requirements. The kids need us now more than ever.
We are in need of volunteers that want to help pack bags of food on Thursdays. Please CLICK HERE to sign up to volunteer.
Below are the adjustments that we are making at the Feed the Kids Food Pantry:
We are making our food distribution a “no touch service."
Here’s how:
1. As to shopping for their items, families will now receive pre-packed bags of fresh produce, bread and non-perishable food in drive thru and walk up service
2. Pre-packaged bags will speed up the distribution .
3. We will ask clients for walk up service to stand 4 to 6 feet apart while in line.
4. Volunteers will also stand/sit 4 to 6 feet apart
5. If volunteers are available, we will extend the service hours to reduce the number of people on site at any given time.
The Feed the Kids Food Pantry is equipped with the following to reduce the spread of germs:
· Non-latex, vinyl gloves
· Clorox wipes
· Access to sinks with hot water and soap for proper hand washing
We are also following the General COVID-19 recommendations:
1. Immediately send home any staff and/or volunteers if they display signs of illness.
2. Allow staff and volunteer breaks for proper hand washing (wash for a minimum of 20 seconds).
3. Increase the visibility and importance of hand washing in the restrooms and throughout the food pantry.
4. Provide gloves to all staff and volunteers.
5. Advise people to avoid touching their eyes, nose and mouth whenever possible.
We will update this post with any developments that may impact or change our program and continue to take direction from the CDC, Health Department, San Diego Food Bank, Feeding San Diego and other appropriate agencies to ensure we are implementing the appropriate measures to create a safe environment for our staff, volunteers and clients.