The schools are working hard to make sure children in the county continue to stay fed. A recent change in USDA rules now allow parents to pick up food without children needing to be present. Documentation is requested for students enrolled in PWCS; however, food will still be provided to all children even those not enrolled. (Documentation is not requested if children are present).
As facilities across the county close, staff have been repositioned to help continue providing services to residents. One such example includes staff at the two Prince William County senior centers who are supplementing Meals on Wheels volunteers to continue to feed seniors in the county. Under normal circumstances, Meals on Wheels recipients get one meal delivered daily by volunteers from the senior centers. While the centers are closed, staff will be delivering five frozen meals each week to recipients.
In addition to the school meals and the Meals on Wheels program, a Community Feeding Taskforce has been assembled. Through the county, the taskforce has acquired a warehouse to rent as a food distribution hub and were provided resources to stock and operate the warehouse through donations from various county business partners. The taskforce will help keep food pantries stocked and will coordinate through Action in Community through Service’s (ACTS) Food Rescue App to help provide food to seniors. Volunteers are needed. Interested individuals can contact Volunteer Prince William or download the Food Rescue app.
Supervisor Boddye is partnering with the Greater Prince William Food Council to put together a food pantry directory. Once completed, it will be managed by the Food Council and available as a public resource and a tool to help collaborate feeding efforts across the county. We need your help! Please send any food pantries the directory form to complete. Food pantries in Prince William County or the Cities of Manassas and Manassas Park are encouraged to complete the form.
A resource that will be available very soon is a county specific Disaster Relief Fund that will be managed by the Human Services Alliance of Greater Prince William. More details will be available next week as the program rolls out. At this time the fund is planned to provide up to $1000 grants to organizations that are providing COVID-19 relief services. These services could include acquiring resources to create hand sanitizer or masks or to provide technology to organizations that want to provide services electronically. Not-for-profit and for-profit organizations are encouraged to apply and think creatively on how to use the funding. The application process should open next week and be available on the Alliance’s website. To donate to the fund, contact Chelsi Conway at the Human Services Alliance.
Supervisor Boddye’s office has received numerous inquiries on the safety of some of the most vulnerable people within our community: the unsheltered and homeless. While there are many resources available through the Department of Social Services (DSS) and through community partners, many inquiries revolved around how those services might change during the COVID-19 emergency. The office reached out to DSS and various community partners to develop this resource guide for the unsheltered and homeless and residents who would like to support them.