ARLINGTON, VA — Arlington Public Schools is offering free meal kits to help families feed their children during winter break, an initiative praised by the Arlington County Council of PTAs as an important step toward addressing student food insecurity.
The school division's Food and Nutrition Services program is providing Winter Break Meal Kits containing seven breakfasts and seven lunches that require no cooking or refrigeration. Families may reserve one kit per child. Winter break for Arlington Public Schools runs from Dec. 23, 2026, through Jan. 1, 2027.
The deadline to register is Sunday, Nov. 15. Families can sign up at apsva.us/mealkit. The registration form is available in English, Spanish, Arabic, Mongolian and Amharic.
In a statement Tuesday, the Arlington County Council of PTAs commended APS Superintendent Francisco Durán and school division leadership for expanding access to food assistance during the school break.
"Student hunger is an all hands on deck kind of problem," CCPTA President Sasha McNickle said. "We commend Superintendent Dr. Francisco Durán and APS leadership for responding to a most critical time of food insecurity for Arlington students and their families, and we believe the Winter Break meal kits will serve as a model for meeting food needs over breaks to come."
School breaks can create additional financial pressures for families whose children ordinarily receive meals during the school day, according to the council.
The meal kit program is intended to help families plan ahead and ensure children have access to food while schools are closed.
"Arlington PTAs and PTSAs will continue to bridge food security gaps throughout the year, and we are committed to our partnership with both Arlington County, APS and other community partners to improve food security for Arlington students over the short term and long term," McNickle said.
The winter break initiative is part of a broader effort to address student hunger in Arlington.
CCPTA has advocated for stronger food assistance programs with Arlington Public Schools, Arlington County government and state officials, emphasizing the need for sustainable resources to help families experiencing food insecurity.
The organization also supports food assistance initiatives organized by local parent-teacher associations.
Among those efforts is a dedicated Food Security Grant fund established by CCPTA members. The fund met its initial $2,000 fundraising goal, which has since been increased to $3,000, according to the organization.
The Arlington County Council of PTAs represents 35 parent-teacher associations and parent-teacher-student associations throughout Arlington Public Schools.
Families interested in receiving winter break meals can complete the online registration form before the Nov. 15 deadline.
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