East Bay Nonprofit To Continue Meal Delivery At School Food Pantries Despite Closures
PLEASANT HILL (CBS SF) -- An East Bay nonprofit said Sunday it will continue to deliver food to students and families across Contra Costa County who are impacted by school closures caused by the coronavirus outbreak.
White Pony Express, a Pleasant Hill-based food rescue, will deliver food to those served by its School Food Pantry Program. WPE says it has been delivering "fresh, surplus food to 11 free-lunch schools in the county."
WPE's 11 school pantries set up in schools in the following cities: Antioch, Bay Point, Martinez, Pittsburg, Richmond and San Pablo. According to WPE, the nonprofit will deliver over 415,000 meals of quality, nutritious food throughout the county.
COMPLETE COVERAGE: CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC
Now that nearly all of the county's schools are closed, WPE will deliver food to nearby community centers or churches where families can obtain items.
"Many of these families rely on this food to make ends meet," WPE said in a statement.
According to WPE, over 100,000 students in Contra Costa County (about 40%) quality for the free lunch program. WPE said the goal of its School Food Pantry Program is to "help eliminate hunger and increase students' academic success so they can contribute more fully to the communities in which they live."
"The food that WPE provides to the schools we serve not only provides nutrition. It provides hope," said Helen Jones, food rescue operations manager at WPE.
