**Washington, DC – **As part of its ongoing COVID19 relief and recovery efforts, No Kid Hungry, a national campaign to end childhood hunger in America, and Nationals Philanthropies, the official charitable arm of the Washington Nationals, have issued matching grants of $25,000 to Fairfax County Public Schools (VA) and Prince George’s County Public Schools (MD) for a total of $50,000 to each school district. 

These funds will help Fairfax County and Prince George's County Public Schools make sure kids stay nourished. Combined, the school districts will serve approximately 35,000 meals a day through curbside pick-up, pop-up meal sites and bus route delivery.

“For all the kids across the country who live with hunger, school meals can be the only food they can depend on each day," said Tom Nelson, President and CEO of Share Our Strength, the organization behind the No Kid Hungry campaign. "It's up to all of us to make sure America's kids – our future leaders – aren't left behind during this national emergency. Together with Nationals Philanthropies, we are working to ensure kids in Fairfax and Prince George’s County can continue to get the nutrition they need during this crisis.”

Before the pandemic, 1 in 7 American kids lived with hunger; this year, that number may grow to 1 in 4. While there may not yet be a cure for COVID19, the hunger that so many families across the country are suffering while out of school and work is solvable.

“The uncertainty caused by the pandemic is particularly unsettling for the most vulnerable members of our community, especially when regular avenues to support services are unavailable,” said Tal Alter, CEO of Washington Nationals Philanthropies. “It is our responsibility to ensure we do everything we can to meet the needs of our neighbors, paramount among these basic needs is the access to nutritious food. The school districts of Fairfax and Prince George’s County are the embodiment of staying in the fight, and we are proud to partner with No Kid Hungry to support their work to continue providing this essential service for young people.”

No Kid Hungry and Nationals Philanthropies, through its NATS4GOOD Community Response Fund, remain committed to assisting communities throughout the Coronavirus outbreak and its aftermath.

About No Kid Hungry

No child should go hungry in America. But millions don’t know where their next meal is coming from. No Kid Hungry is ending childhood hunger by helping launch and improve programs that give all kids the healthy food they need to thrive. This is a problem we know how to solve. No Kid Hungry is a campaign by Share Our Strength, an organization working to end hunger and poverty.

About Nationals Philanthropies

The Washington Nationals strive to become a civic partner to every Washingtonian interested in making a positive difference in our region and a leading philanthropic organization in professional sports. As the official charitable arm of the Washington Nationals, Nationals Philanthropies is a new entity that replaces the Dream Foundation. Building on the success of the foundation’s first decade in Washington, we aspire to an even bolder, more ambitious philanthropic vision that continues to align with the work of the Youth Baseball Academy while building an enhanced and cohesive platform for civic engagement that extends far beyond the Academy walls.