Free breakfast and lunch are delivered to kids in Oakville.
Free breakfast and lunch are delivered to kids in Oakville last month.
Centralia School District began handing out free lunches at its schools this week.
A student hands a Centralia School District Employee a thank-you card this week.
A Centralia School District Employee shows off two thank-you notes from students this week.
Washington state is requiring school districts to have free meals available for children in the community that are ages 18 and younger and the local districts are complying with breakfast and lunches available for pick up or delivered on the school bus routes.
Centralia School District is handing out meals that include lunch and breakfast for the next morning from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at all five of the district’s elementary schools Monday through Friday.
“If a kid shows up and they’re under 18, we are going to feed them. … We’re looking to expand that as well. If demand grows we’ll look for ways to get more food out there,” said Ed Petersen, Centralia School District Communications & Public Relations Coordinator.
The district has been averaging about 500 lunches a day and handed out 419 breakfasts on the first day. On Thursday the lunches included a turkey sandwich, broccoli, an apple and milk. Breakfast is usually a cereal bar, milk and fruit.
“Almost 80 percent— 79.4 percent of our kids come from a low-income family so it just makes sense. We absolutely do want to keep doing this because we know that resources are strained during normal times for a lot of families and this just doesn’t help,” said Petersen.
They are not having a large influx of people at any of the elementary schools at any one time so it’s been easy to stick to social distancing guidelines. They are also serving the food outside and not eating on sight, Petersen said.
“Basically the kiddos get out of the car, come get their lunch and breakfast and then go home so we aren’t seeing any large gatherings or people lining up,” said Petersen.
Petersen said they are seeing all ages of kids, mostly elementary school students but there are some middle and high school students as well.
“We will keep offering these meals as long as we are closed. We normally offer some sort of meal plan over summer break, there’s no indication that this is going to last that long but if it did we would have some sort of plan in place,” said Petersen.
The Chehalis School District will begin handing out free breakfast and lunch on Monday, March 23.
“It is a difficult time and when we have a difficult time we tend to join together— county, community, parents, teachers, school districts— and this is just the right thing to do for our children,” said Chehalis School District Superintendent Ed Rothlin.
Oakville School District is loading the meals on a van and two buses that will be driving separate routes and delivering them to anyone 18 and younger along their school bus routes so the meal recipients don’t have to go far from their home. Anyone 18 and younger can get a meal— they do not have to be Oakville students.
Locations:
Centralia: Jefferson-Lincoln Elementary, Edison Elementary, Oakview Elementary, Fords Prairie Elementary, and Washington Elementary from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Chehalis: Chehalis Middle School at 1060 SW 20th Street or the Chehalis Bus Garage at 261 SW 3rd Street from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Oakville: Along the Oakville bus routes. More information on the meal drop off locations can be found on the Oakville School District Facebook page. The buses and van will begin their routes at 10:30 a.m. and conclude at about 12:30 p.m.
Adna: Lunch and breakfast will be available from 10 a.m. to noon Monday through Friday at the middle/high school. The meals will also be delivered on a bus route. Find more information on the bus route on the Adna School District’s website.
Napavine: Free meals will be provided if it is requested. There is a “Food Service Request” form on the district’s website. Meal delivery or pick up will begin on Monday, March 23. Anyone ages 18 and under are eligible. Request form— https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScEXjxXK1KoUwqiIo_siUELFv10MNs4W5A3Bssgr_fsHZmWEA/viewform
Winlock: Lunch and breakfast will be distributed at the following locations from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.— Highway 12 Texaco, Tennessee Road (Goods Quarry) lot, Vader Post Office on Allman Road, Winlock Miller Elementary and Winlock High School/Middle School.
Toledo: Meal request forms are available on the district’s website which is to be emailed or faxed to the school and the meal will be delivered by bus. More information can be found on the school’s website– http://www.toledoschools.us/.
Mossyrock: Mossyrock School District said more information on the free meal program would be emailed out to families.
