$150K Facebook donation aims to keep Fort Worth-area students, families fed amid COVID

Facebook is helping area school children and their families with meals after school and on weekends during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The social media giant gave United Way of Tarrant County $150,000 for its coronavirus emergency relief fund to help provide meals evenings and weekends for students and their families.

The funds will supplement what area school districts are already doing to provide food to the students.

“Area school districts have masterfully responded to the urgent nutritional needs of students and their families, but there is a need for evening and weekend meals especially for the whole family,” United Way president and CEO Leah King said in a news release.

Since the pandemic began, Facebook has invested more than $1 million in grants and donations in Tarrant County for small business recovery, educational technology tools, personal protective equipment and food security, according to the news release.

“We appreciate the opportunity to assist United Way of Tarrant County in preventing our local students and their families from going to bed hungry,” Matt Sexton, community development regional manager for Facebook, said in the news release.

Since mid-March, United Way of Tarrant County has invested more than $1 million in the community for COVID-19 relief.

This story was originally published May 21, 2020 at 5:30 AM.