During the pandemic, Facebook's campus chefs were being paid but weren't working while the social media giant's employees worked from home. Meanwhile, kids living nearby were struggling with food insecurity.

In an effort to combine the former resource with the latter need, a partnership between the social media company and a local school district was born: Facebook's campus chefs were tasked with feeding families in the Ravenswood City School District, which serves residents of East Palo Alto and Menlo Park.

According to a statement from Facebook, company chefs make meals every Thursday, which are delivered to local schools by a Facebook-sponsored food truck.

June Richardson, who heads the child nutrition program at the Ravenswood City School District, said in an interview that the program started April 16 and is expected to run through the summer.

The meals Facebook prepares for the district are packaged family-style, include fresh fruits and vegetables, and don't require preparation.

They also help break up the monotony of what the district can otherwise provide through its bulk school meal program, which offers families a week's worth of meals each Wednesday, Richardson said.

According to Facebook, the program provides enough food to serve up to 600 meals each week.

"We never have any leftovers," Richardson said.

The meal program has been advertised on the East Palo Alto Neighbors group on Facebook and through other Facebook and Instagram sites, as well through the district's system that allows principals to text alerts to families at each school, she said.

The nonprofit Loaves and Fishes has partnered with the program to provide access to a refrigerated van that transports the meals from Facebook to the school sites, ensuring that the food is kept at a safe temperature, Richardson said.

Family meals so far have included menu items like tacos and chicken pitas, and have been a hit with families, she said.

"I think the other impact is it allows them to feel a sense of community with Facebook," she added. Often, families in the district think, "We have all these great Silicon Valley moguls in our town, but what are they doing for our community?" she said.

The program has shifted some attitudes about Facebook in the community toward thinking "Hey, they really do care about us," she said. "I think (that) is huge in our community."