Skip to content

Subscriber Only

U.S. School Virus Closings May Leave Millions Hungry, Officials Warn

U.S. school systems seek more leeway to continue meals
Almost 22 million kids got free or low-cost lunches in 2019

Adams 12 Schools Summer Lunch Program — Photographer: Seth McConnell/Denver Post via Getty Images

By

Mike Dorning and

March 13, 2020, 4:52 PM UTCUpdated onMarch 14, 2020, 6:47 PM UTC

U.S. school food service officials are warning that millions of children could go hungry because of coronavirus closings, with the group calling for more leeway to continue providing subsidized meals during the disruption.

“A lot of kids are going to go without food. We know that now on weekends. We know that on holidays,” said Katie Wilson, executive director of the Urban School Food Alliance, an association of nutrition officials for the nation’s largest school systems. “There will be a lot of children with no access to food.”