I agree that the OP should take $50 from the emergency fund and go to the grocery to provided adequate food for your children. I'm all for using up the pantry and have been known to be creative before we go on vacation. I like to use up everything I can before we go on vacation and then start over when we get back. We are 3 weeks out from Hilton Head and I just mentioned it to my girls with a "you know what that means?" kind of statement and they both grinned because they think it's kind of goofy and like to see what I can come up with. It's like a game, but we still have fresh fruit.
But OP, in this situation $50 won't make or break you from what you have said. Go buy some food!
I just got back from Aldis and spent $43. I didn't buy any meat and did buy some junk, but I got enough food to fill in with what I have. For $43 I got:
milk, eggs, butter, micro popcorn, large bag of snack chips, cookies, 3lbs apples, bananas, 2lbs grapes, bread, 4 micro burritos, 1 box egg rolls 2 jars orange ginger sauce (both are seasonal items and we love it though I don't need it now), 3 gatoraid drinks (soccer), 1 box cereal, raisin bread, white whole wheat bread, and 4 cup bag of mozzarella cheese. I think that's it.
I have been without snacks in my house a few times for a few days before and my kids thought we were pooor and worried. If your kids just went through Irene, go buy them some comfort food. I'd at least have to make mine mashed potatoes so the world would seem right again, at least to my DD 13.