CORONAVIRUS: STRONGER TOGETHER
School District Sees Increase In Families Utilizing Lunch, Breakfast Programs
Mar 25, 2020, 12:52 PM | Updated: 1:17 pm
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and Rose Park Elementary School has seen an increase in families utilizing the Salt Lake School District’s program: Lunch today, breakfast tomorrow.
“We usually are serving about 300 kids a day” said Michelle Monk, talking on behalf of Rose Park Elementary School only.
The increase is likely having to do with the coronavirus pandemic while students learn from home in an effort to flatten the curve. The district made some adjustments to the way the food is being given out so that parents or students aren’t making multiple trips.
This is what Grab & Go meals looks like at Rose Park Elementary School, provide by the Salt Lake Education Foundation. Breakfast & lunch bags being handed out in the same parking lot for school kids until 12:30. Live here at noon on @KSL5TV pic.twitter.com/Fz48ofxW5T
— Felicia Martinez (@FeliciaKSL) March 25, 2020
“For today, the lunch is grilled cheese, cookies, a fruit and a vegetable,” Monk said. “Then breakfast for tomorrow is a cereal, milk, and an apple sauce.”
At the same time, more than 200 grab-and-go meals are being bagged up and ready to hand out curbside from the food pantry, which is located on campus with items provided by the Salt Lake Education Foundation.
“We’re getting to have a lot more families and community people coming through because there is such a high need at the grocery stores,” said Angelica Ramos with SLEF. “There’s not a lot a lot of things they can get anymore.”
Currently, bags of food are being given out every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. However, because of a shortage of food and donations, the foundation will be giving them out every Tuesday and Thursday beginning next week.
Grab & Go meals plus hygiene kits at various schools including Rose Park Elementary. Today they expect at least 300 #utah families struggling during this #pandemic. pic.twitter.com/ZsvwC1hyQT
— Felicia Martinez (@FeliciaKSL) March 25, 2020
Families are also receiving hygiene kits, which include tissue, soap or sanitizer, toothbrush, and toothpaste.
“Just because of the shortage, we can’t get them out every single day like we would like to when we distribute food,” Ramos said. “But we’re trying to as much as we can.”
Thankfully the school district has plenty of food right now for kids’ breakfast and lunches, and they continue to work with distributors to ensure the program continues.
