SALT LAKE CITY (March 16, 2020) — The Utah Jazz announced today that Donovan Mitchell is helping students in Granite School District obtain a healthy meal at no charge while schools are participating in a closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“As we all navigate the challenges that have arisen with COVID-19, there are many people impacted. My mom’s career in education made me value children and the importance of academics, and I want to make sure that kids can continue to eat a meal while they can’t go to school.

“Our community is resilient and unified, and seeing how people have come together during this time makes me proud to represent this great state,” said Mitchell, who made the original announcement nationally via ABC Good Morning America today.

Granite School District is transitioning its regular National School Lunch Program sites into what is known as the Seamless Summer Feeding Program during this period. Mitchell’s donation helps subsidize the program for food-insecure students, as many as 10,040 per day, during this non-summer school closure.

Under this program, any child under the age of 19, including preschool children, can show up at a designated site and eat a meal at no charge. During regular school days, vulnerable students are served meals in programs largely funded by the federal government. This partnership between Mitchell and Granite School District helps address gaps in service while school is out of session and for students who may not typically qualify under the federal guidelines.

The Granite School District is one of the largest in Utah, with 88 schools serving 67,730 students in Salt Lake City. Granite serves some of Utah’s most vulnerable children, including a large population of refugee students.

—@JazzDoingGood or utahjazz.com—