Knowing where those next few meals are coming from is paramount for those hit hardest by the coronavirus pandemic. That’s why food insecurity is one of the areas the Foundation wants to address with its COVID-19 Response Fund.

To that end, the third rapid-response grant from the fund goes to The Sheridan Story, a nonprofit that’s working in tandem with the Eden Prairie Schools to provide food support to students and their families during the pandemic.

Awarded April 24, the $5,000 grant will help The Sheridan Story provide weekend food packs to Eden Prairie students over the next month, or approximately the remainder of the current school year.

From about mid-March to early April, The Sheridan Story was providing 1,254 meals per week to Eden Prairie students. But demand has ramped up, and as of last week that number had increased to 2,528. Officials from the Sheridan Story say the number of children living in food insecurity may continue to rise, as the pandemic lingers.

It’s uncertain whether the school district’s nutrition program or The Sheridan Story’s supplemental weekend food will continue into the summer.

Grants to support the uninterrupted delivery of basic social services will continue to be made from the Foundation’s COVID-19 Response Fund. You can check out the details of our first two grants: $8,000 to PROP and $3,000 to Brighter Days Grief Center.

Our sincere thanks to everyone who has donated to this response fund. It has collected more than $50,000 in donations – including $20,000 from the Minnesota Disaster Recovery Fund organized by the Saint Paul and Minnesota Foundation – and will continue to grow. Contributions can be made on this website, or you can send a check to: Eden Prairie Community Foundation, COVID-19 Response Fund, 8080 Mitchell Road, Eden Prairie, MN 55344.