After Sweetwater Union High School District closed schools last week until at least April 6, staffers have continued to distribute meals to students at schools where at least 50 percent of students are eligible for free and reduced lunch.
“Food security and meal security is really important to our families … whatever we can do to ensure that our students are being fed, we’re going to try to do that,” Grants and Communications Director Manuel Rubio said.
Meal distribution centers are being set up at 14 middle schools and high schools around the South Bay from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. every day through March 20.
According to data collected by the California Department of Education, more than 23,000 SUHSD students qualified for free and reduced lunch during the 2018-2019 school year.
“I think just in general, we know that communities rely on schools for so much more than just daily classroom education,” Rubio said.
The process for meal distribution was organized in a way that still encourages social distancing.
Cars can drive up to the meal distribution sites where SUHSD staffers have set meals on tables. Then community members and students can get out of their cars and pick up the meals from the tables. Students are not required to show any identification.
SUHSD staff are equipped with masks and gloves and keep a six-foot distance between themselves and community members, according to SUHSD Nutrition Director Eric Span.
Span estimates that throughout the week SUHSD will give out between 7,000 and 8,000 free meals. For breakfast, students were given either a concha or a muffin and fruit.
For lunch, Span said students could get spicy chicken, turkey or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in addition to vegetable sides and milk.
“In crises, it’s really important that the community come together and support each other,” Span said. “I feel really proud that our district rose to the occasion to serve our community.”
According to Rubio, SUHSD is able to provide meals through a federal meal program funded through the United States Department of Agriculture that is usually utilized during summer.
“I know that some districts, what they’re doing is funding it out of their general fund, but we don’t have that ability,” Rubio said, referring to SUHSD’s ongoing $30 million budget deficit.
Whether or not SUHSD will be able to provide meals to kids next week will depend on whether or not they can get approved by the USDA to get more federally-funded meals, according to Rubio.
National School District in National City will give out free meals starting Monday, March 23, through April 3.
