Somewhere during the span days since Covid-19 upended—well, everything—the Twitter-verse noted a nuance in this popular Mr. Rogers quote: “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’” Rogers’ words are inspiring on their merits. Yet here’s the thing: He was talking to kids, which means it’s us, the adults, who are being called on to help.
As people clear grocery shelves and the restaurant industry is upended, the nature of how and where we eat is in flux. With school closures mandated statewide, this includes the half a million NJ children who rely on free lunch and breakfast programs throughout the week.
Districts including Camden City are guiding students toward free weekday meal sites on their websites. To bolster their efforts, a few local restaurateurs have decided to do their part to feed the younger members of their communities.
Jenn Hall 