Feeding Kids

from Greenwood Life June 2020

Hometown Hero

Greenwood Schools By Scott Cutlip CONTRIBUTING WRITER Feeding Local Kids

In March the Greenwood Public School District stopped in-school classes in response to tne COVID-19 pandemic and moved to a form of distance learning for all its students. at helped mitigate some of the possibility of passing the virus in the schools, but it also created a problem: many Greenwood families relied on lunches available at the schoosl. According to Teresa Rose, Director of Food Services and Federal Programs, approximately 35 percent of Green students receive free or reduced school meals.

To remedy the sudden loss of meals to some students, the district started a Grab ‘N’ Go program to hand out meals beginning on March 17 and continuing until the end of the school year on May 22. e meals were handed out at Greenwood Junior High, which was selected because it has a drive-thru area, providing safety through all types of weather and providing ease during the pandemic.

Meals were handed out on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday of each week. Four meals were provided on Monday and Wednesday, including a hot lunch, a sack lunch, and two breakfasts. On Friday a hot lunch and breakfast were provided. Rose estimated that, on average, 260 children each day

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were provided meals, meaning approximately 2,600 meals were handed out. e meals were available to children from age 1 to 18. e program was not restricted to Greenwood students, as Rose pointed out that some Greenwood families had taken over child care duties for parents in other cities who had to work during the day.

“I’m very familiar with our students,” Rose said. “At the beginning, the students were with the families. And we were able to say, yes, there are three children in that car or four children in that car. en we received a waiver for parents to be able to pick up the food without the children. ey just tell us how many and we provide that many.”

Rose said that many precautions necessitated by COVID-19 were already in place by the crew. ere are dedicated sinks in each kitchen for hand-washing. Gloves were provided. Masks must be worn. Temperatures were checked.“Service in general is really kind of social distancing,” Rose said. “For instance, we might have one person getting ready to have chicken nuggets to go in the oven, and another person over here making sandwiches, and another person to another side of the kitchen, bagging up chips, and another person preparing condiments. And when we actually distributed, we wore gloves and masks, and we handed it to the cars. None of the families got out of the car.”

In addition to dining employees from all the Greenwood schools, Rose said they have had volunteers assist with the distribution, including administrators, paraprofessionals, coaches, and teachers. Because Greenwood has ve schools, sta has been rotated in and out frequently, with no more than 10 people in the kitchen, even on the busier days. “ ey know they are here to take care of kids, and that’s what they love to do,” Rose said.

e meals were provided for by local funds at the district. According to Rose, the district will receive a partial reimbursement from the state.