A huge team effort is one way to describe how Arlington Public Schools (APS) has worked together through the government shutdown. 25.4% of all working eligible citizens of Arlington County work for the government and were affected by the shutdown. Even families who were not directly missing a paycheck were feeling the effects through people they know and the local economy.
However, three APS high schools, Washington-Liberty (W-L), Wakefield and Yorktown were all hubs for warm meals every night for anyone in need. The meals were intended for those directly affected by the shutdown, but were open to all who needed them. APS Superintendent Dr. Francisco Duran began brainstorming ways to help our families, as so many were impacted.
“We wanted to see what we could do to help them and so we got together with some staff and thought why not provide hot meals at our high schools in the evening to help them with that cost?” Dr. Duran said. “There are a lot of economic challenges with not having a paycheck and not knowing when the government would reopen, so we wanted to do everything possible to make sure that the families in our community had a place to have a meal and feel supported.”
Anyone can sign up to volunteer ,including school administrators, teachers, students and community members. Their responsibilities included greeting families, directing families to food locations, counting families to ensure we do not exceed the capacity of 250 meals, circulating in the cafeteria to support the flow and circulating common areas such as the hall/bathroom outside the cafeteria.
“It was great because some of the people that were coming on the first night were very thankful and letting us know how appreciative they were that we were doing this,” Dr. Duran said. “So it was nice just to be able to welcome folks if they came in and let them know we were here for them and we would be there for a while.”
Ms. Hope Maravilla, an English Learners teacher at the school, was appointed the school’s point of contact, along with Ms. Katie Benson. Their responsibilities were to be there every night of the week. Maravilla has petitioned for the continuation even after the shutdown has ended, as the effects are still ongoing.
“Katie and I have both said that we have enjoyed it, especially talking to other teachers and other staff members and people from outside of the school,” Maravilla said. “It has been fun to have them come together as a community, and as a school, to bring other people together, too. Just some time together to talk to them and do something meaningful together. It has definitely been a team effort, though; if one person did not do what they did, it would not have worked.”
There is other support if families need extra help financially, like a pause in their payment for extended day or support paying for breakfast and lunch. There are also many resources that link people to the county, where they can get additional food assistance, help with rent, or other services that APS cannot directly provide. There is information on the DHS Federal Government Shutdown Resources page and the DHS Holiday Food Assistance Resource Page. This can also be seen in information about Virginia Emergency Nutrition Assistance (VENA), which provides stop-gap funding for families in case the shutdown impacts SNAP benefits.
“I think it is very important that our community knows that we want to be there to support them and we want our families to know that in these times of crisis and these times of uncertainty,” Dr. Duran said. “There is a lot of uncertainty right now, so we are gonna do everything we can to support them. Maybe not just food, or even monetary, but other ways that we can just support each other as a community.”
APS is the only division in Northern Virginia to provide meals for federal families, and the attendance was pretty steady throughout the weeks. The school alone served over 300 meals in nine days.
“The Arlington principals were called into a meeting with the superintendent and our chief of schools,” said Principal Duncan. “We had a conversation where they asked us how we would want to support our families and what we could do. So, at all the comprehensive schools, basically all the hubs in the community, decided to be a part of it. It was exciting for us because, first of all, we are able to serve meals to our families, and we are going to continue to provide this opportunity even after the government shutdown has ended. It is one of those great ways where the school intersects with the community to provide community resources, not just education.”
All the administrators volunteered, either formally or informally, with many staff and student volunteering as well. The meals served as a mental break, a warm meal and a distraction from everything going on in the world. Some families with children would get involved in playing with the student volunteers, building a sense of community.
“I used to teach about the civil rights movement, and I used to tell my students how in the 1960s and the 1970s the church served as almost a hug for the community,” said Principal Duncan. “People went there for everything, all community resources, and that is almost what we are trying to provide as a school. I am happy to be in a position to be able to do that for our community.”
