Anonymous $140,000 gift will support local families with meals through holiday season
Winter break kicks off December 22 for Charlottesville City Schools, and with it a two-week pause on free midday meals for students. To cover that gap, community members are stepping up to ensure families are fed this holiday season.
On December 10, CCS announced an anonymous $140,000 donation, which the district will use to provide 1,400 $100 gift cards to Food Lion and Kroger.
According to the Virginia Department of Education, more than 52 percent of CCS students are economically disadvantaged. Gift cards are limited to one per household, and must be used to purchase food. Eligible families can find a link to the form here.
The surprise donation adds an extra layer of support for CCS families, but is only one element of the constellation of community care this holiday season.
For the sixth year in a row, sisters Zaneyah, Zeniah, and Zyahna Bryant are organizing a holiday mutual aid drive. This December they’re focusing the campaign on core necessities, but will also accept donations of traditional holiday gifts.
“Despite the fact that we have so many resources out there, and we have so many nonprofits, there are still some holes and some gaps,” says newly elected CCS school board member Zyahna Bryant. “That’s what mutual aid is all about—it’s about giving what you’re able to give, and getting whatever you need in that moment.”
Beyond household needs and groceries, the Bryant sisters will use any money donated to the drive to buy winter clothing, shoes, and books for local families, as needed. They will also hand out hot meals, care packages, and gift cards to unhoused Charlottesville residents outside The Haven on December 21.
“We take care of us,” says Bryant. “We have a lot of people who care deeply about each other in our community, and so I think that our annual mutual aid drive—or the first generation college student mutual aid initiative—just goes to show how powerful it is when neighbors take care of neighbors.”
More information on where to donate can be found here.
