The SWBID removes barriers by meeting kids where they are for meal delivery

By Southwester Staff

Washington, D.C. – Starting this week, the Southwest Business Improvement District (SWBID) began picking up 200 meals daily from the District’s Jefferson Middle School meal site and delivering them directly to the Resident Councils at James Creek, Greenleaf, and Syphax public housing complexes in Southwest, D.C. 

“The staff at the BID are deeply committed to supporting the Southwest neighborhood,” said Geoffrey Griffis, Board Chair of the SWBID, “I am proud to be a part of an organization that can stand up a new program in a matter of days to address pressing and evolving needs for the community we serve.”

The SWBID is partnering with DC Public Schools, Councilmember Allen’s Office, and the resident’s councils of James Creek, Greenleaf Gardens, and Syphax Gardens on this pilot meal delivery program, with the aim of continuing deliveries until kids are back in school. The meal packages will be available to all school-aged children and will include one fresh lunch and a shelf-stable breakfast to take home for the following morning.

“This is an unprecedented time for us all,” said Andre Witt, COO of the SWBID, “many people need help with essential services. We heard that some families were having difficulty getting to their nearest meal site, so we started working with Councilmember Allen’s team to see what we could do. We are here to support the community.”

The SWBID ambassador team completed a series of training programs around cleaning and disinfecting public space consistent with the CDC Guidelines at the onset of COVID-19 in the District. The organization has updated their sick leave policy to guarantee paid sick leave for all team members regardless of accruals and the team has been broken up into three separate work teams that do not overlap to minimize exposure to the virus for the whole team. 

The SWBID is committed to continuing to partner with the District to understand and respond to areas of need within the community as the impact of COVID-19 evolves. For more information, please visit https://www.swbid.org/covid-19.

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