Schools in the District of Columbia, closed Monday as the city recovered from a massive blizzard, opened 10 sites around the city to offer free breakfasts and lunches to students and their families.
In nearby Baltimore, which was also hit hard by snow, a non-profit organization offered free bagged meals to students, the Baltimore Sun reports.
The move was praised by children’s advocacy groups, who are quick to note that low-income students, who rely on school meals for much of their nutrition, often struggle with hunger on days when school is not in session.
For too many children not going to school ends their certainty about where and when their next meal will come. //t.co/nJ5zoqmKlA
-- ChildrensDefenseFund (@ChildDefender) January 25, 2016
Here is one city doing what it can to make sure #NoKidHungry by providing 2 meals for their students while closed. //t.co/DUsAAaD3iI
-- No Kid Hungry (@nokidhungry) January 25, 2016
The issue is especially pressing in cities with higher rates of poverty. Nearly 80 percent of students enrolled in the D.C. schools qualify for free and reduced-price meals, according to district data.
In 2014, a city council member proposed a bill that would have required the city to offer free meals on snow days.