For at least the next two weeks, many students in D.C., Maryland, and Virginia won’t be showing up to classes as usual. State and local officials announced last week that all public schools in the region will be closed to reduce the spread of the new coronavirus.
Local governments are organizing places for students who depend on free lunches during the school day to get food—D.C. has announced 16 locations (kids don’t have to be D.C. Public Schools students to eat), Fairfax County has publicized 18 locations for both breakfast and lunch, Prince George’s County has nine locations for lunches, and other jurisdictions are working on finalizing their plans.
[Read the latest updates about coronavirus in our region here.]
It’s not just students who will be impacted by widespread closures of government facilities. For elderly people who rely on the D.C. Department of Aging and Community Living’s community dining sites, those locations will shift to meal pick-up starting on March 16 through the end of the month.
In addition to the work from the public sector, some restaurants are also stepping up to provide assistance to both students and the elderly population. Here’s the rundown:
- Good Company Doughnuts and Cafe: The Arlington cafe is offering a free meal off the kids menu (plus a doughnut!) to school-aged children from Monday through Friday, as long as Arlington schools are not open. Additionally, the cafe is offering free delivery to seniors who order purchases above $20.
- Bayou Bakery: Chef David Gaus is serving grab-and-go vegetarian lunches to Arlington County students and their families every weekday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. until schools reopen.
- Good Stuff Eatery / We, The Pizza / Santa Rosa Taqueria: The restaurants in Spike Mendelsohn’s food group, which have outposts in D.C. and Northern Virginia, are offering free food for kids while schools are closed, as long as they’re with an adult who buys a full meal. (There’s a two-kid limit for the offer.)
- Hook Hall: The giant space in Park View has launched a widespread program to offer assistance to hospitality workers impacted by the cascade of cancellations and closures, including professional development programming, employment services information, and free meals. Hook Hall is also partnering with Kellogg’s to provide 150 meals each day for breakfast (8 a.m. to 10 a.m.) and dinner (2 p.m. to 6 p.m.) Monday through Sunday, starting on March 23. Other family-focused programming begins on March 16.
- Little Miner Taco: The Brentwood, Md. eatery is offering one meal off the kids menu daily for DCPS or Maryland students as long as their schools remain closed.
- Medium Rare: The steak restaurant is delivering dinner to any local person over 70 who is quarantined, whether it’s a self-quarantine or they were mandated by a health official, with the help of volunteer drivers. Medium Rare appears to have been somewhat flexible about the age cutoff, depending on need.
- Milk and Honey: Milked, LLC, owner of the popular cafe, is offering free breakfast to homebound students at its Bowie, College Park, and H Street NE locations. Meals include cereal, waffles, pancakes, and fresh fruit, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m.
- Po Boy Jim: So long as D.C. schools are shuttered, this H Street NE Cajun restaurant is offering free meals off its kids menu.
- Rasa: The fast casual Indian restaurant in Navy Yard is offering free take-out meals for all school children under the age of 18, hospital workers who can provide a valid ID, and its own staffers and their families.
- Succotash: This southern cuisine restaurant in Penn Quarter is offering free dinner for those in the hospitality industry who have been laid off or has had a significant reduction in hours or pay. It’s available between 5 and 8 p.m. on a first-come, first-serve basis. Limit two meals per person.
- Think Food Group Restaurants: The José Andrés-helmed business is closing all of its D.C.-area restaurants. Many of the locations are being converted into community kitchens providing “affordable plates of the day” for takeout—Andrés said in a release that “those who cannot afford to pay we will welcome as well.” The forthcoming community kitchens open on March 17 at America Eats Tavern, Oyamel, Zaytinya, and the three local Jaleo outposts.
Many restaurants have shifted to delivery-only business or opted to temporarily close their doors.
This story has been updated with additional offers.
Rachel Kurzius