Children's Inn at NIH needs help feeding families, seriously ill children during COVID-19

BETHESDA, Md. (ABC7) — The Children's Inn, a free lodging campus located at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for seriously ill children and their families, is desperate for help to continue supporting families during the COVID-19 pandemic.

As a result of the pandemic, the Children's Inn suspended 200 volunteers to keep patients safe.

The inn says this has put a great strain on its operations.

The volunteers do everything from staff the front desk, help new families find their way around the inn, sort, stock and cook food.

The Children’s Inn says they depend on donations to keep its doors open and asks for the community’s support of its Feeding Families Program to help provide meals to families during the COVID-19 public health emergency.

The community can also support The Children’s Inn families by helping provide non-perishable food located on their wishlist.

“The safety of our children, young adults and families is always our top priority,” says Jennie Lucca, CEO of The Children’s Inn. “COVID-19 poses a great risk to our children and young people, many of whom are immunocompromised due to genetic diseases or treatments they undergo. Their health and well-being requires us to take extraordinary safety measures, including suspending all support from volunteers and visitors who do so much for our children and families."