Arlington Public Schools is offering free dinners at three high schools for families affected by the government shutdown.
Beginning Thursday, the school system will serve free hot meals every weekday from 5:30-7:30 p.m. in the cafeterias at Yorktown, Washington-Liberty and Wakefield high schools. Each location will provide 250 meals every day on a first-come, first-served basis.
“APS students and their families are welcome,” the school system said in an announcement. “We will not turn away families who need support.”
Funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program has faced significant uncertainty during the government shutdown. Benefit cards weren’t reloaded starting Saturday as funding ran out, but in Virginia, a new state-funded food assistance program is expected to launch today.
Fliers to let people know about the meals are available in English and Spanish. The complete APS announcement is below.
APS will launch a temporary meal program to support students and families affected by the federal government shutdown.
- Starting Thu, Nov. 6, 2025, APS families are invited to enjoy a free hot meal together at either Yorktown, Washington-Liberty or Wakefield High Schools from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.
- Meals will be served and enjoyed in each school cafeteria. We ask families to eat on site so we can serve as many households as possible.
- APS will serve 250 meals per day at each location on a first-come first-served basis. APS students and their families are welcome. We will not turn away families who need support.
- Please note, there will be no meal served on Veterans Day, Tue, Nov. 11.
- We ask that you complete this brief optional form. Your input will help us plan responsibly and meet the needs of our community. The form does not collect identifying information and is not required to attend.
We are grateful to our Food Services team, custodial staff, security teams, school-based and central office level staff and volunteers who are making this possible. Thank you for being part of our caring APS community.
