Summit Denali Providing Meals to Students Throughout Community

In the peak of the pandemic and amidst heightened food insecurity, families across the country are preparing for their students to begin winter break. Sunnyvale’s Summit Denali Middle and High School will provide continued support to students by distributing a week's worth of meals on the last day of the semester, December 18.

Summit Denali has provided free meals to any student who needs them since March, nearly 9,000 meals in total. Responsive to the needs of families, meal kits have evolved from supplying five days to seven days worth of food every week. Kits include breakfast and lunch entrees, fresh fruits and vegetables, and milk. Each Monday, all students 18 and under — including those not enrolled at Summit Denali — are able to pick up the meal kits prepared by The LunchMaster.

“If a student’s most basic needs are not met, it’s more difficult for students to engage and concentrate in Virtual School,” says Director of Regional Operations, Alara Guzman-MacGillivray. “Summit Public Schools have supported students with meal kits, one-to-one technology, and regular check-ins to ensure they can continue to attend, engage, learn, and grow. We’re so proud of our community for working hard to support each other during the pandemic.”

The impact on the Summit community is tangible. “Not having to go buy food, particularly fresh fruit, at the store during this pandemic while one of our parents is not working has greatly helped our family," reflected an 11th grader at Summit. Summit’s network of schools in California and Washington has distributed over 137,000 meals since March.

Summit Denali’s free winter break meal distribution will take place at 539 E. Weddell Drive, Sunnyvale, CA 94089 from 8 AM to 3 PM and will operate in accordance with COVID-19 safety precautions. If you or your family need additional meal support during school closures, visit the USDA Find Meals for Kids tool.

To learn more about Summit Denali, visit their website.