HOLYOKE — Public school students and families could be found walking Tuesday near the Dr. Marcella R. Kelly School with white bags full of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, fruit, milk and cereal.
Although all schools in Massachusetts are closed, Holyoke Public Schools are providing to-go meals to students in five locations — Kelly School, Lt. Clayre P. Sullivan School, Maurice A. Donahue School, H.B. Lawrence, and Holyoke High North Campus — on weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. About 400 students received meals through the program Monday, according to Ashley Plante, the general manager for Sodexo, a food service provider in the public schools. In the school district, all students are eligible for breakfast and lunch at no cost, Plante said.
On Tuesday morning, a long table was set up outside the Kelly School door with a sign saying “STOP” and in Spanish, “ALTO,” telling people to wait outside behind the table.
When Encarnacion Varona arrived to get meals for her two children, cafeteria worker Norma Lessama popped her head out of the door and put bagged food on one end of the table. Once Lessama went back into the school, Varona was able to collect her parcel.
When a wave of schools announced Friday that they were closing due to the coronavirus threat, many people had concerns about how school food programs would stay functional. During the closures, reimbursement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture will be limited to schools where more than 50% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price meals, as well as community organizations that participated in the USDA Summer Food Service Program over the summer, according to the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
When Amherst-Pelham Regional Schools announced last week that they were closing, “There was a lot of community concern, including staff concern, about food scarcity,” Superintendent Michael Morris said Tuesday. Roughly 40% of students at the elementary school level in Amherst are eligible for free and reduced lunch, according to Morris.
On Tuesday, the district began delivering to-go breakfast and lunch to 13 sites in Amherst, including the Colonial Village Apartments and The Mill District. A detailed schedule for when meals are delivered can be found on the district’s website.
On the first day, more than 300 meals were provided, said Marta Guevara, the regional district’s director of student and family engagement.
The district is able to qualify for federal reimbursement for the meals because they are part of a food program for low-income students over the summer, Morris explained.
Food service workers prepare the food in the Amherst-Pelham Regional High School cafeteria, and then volunteers help distribute it, Guevara said.
“Anyone can go and pick it up,” Guevara said. “We’re very concerned about food insecurity for students who receive free and reduced lunch, who access breakfast and lunch in the schools.”
She added, “We just want people to know the service is there.”
Starting Thursday, Northampton Public Schools will offer to-go breakfast and lunch to students 18 or younger. Children do not need to be students in the school district to participate. “No proof of income, residency or age is required,” a letter to families reads.
Bagged meals are available from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. on weekdays at Hampshire Heights, Florence Heights, Meadowbrook Apartments and 236 Pleasant St.
In Easthampton, Maple Elementary School students can get bagged breakfast and lunch at Easthampton High School between 8:30 and 10 a.m., according to a letter on the Easthampton Public Schools website.
In Belchertown, to-go breakfasts and lunches are available at the Chestnut Hill Community School starting Tuesday, according to an announcement by the school.
Starting Wednesday, Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School in Northampton will begin providing breakfast and lunch for those under 18 who are experiencing food insecurity. Meals are available Mondays and Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the school parking lot. “Please stay in your vehicle and meals will be passed to you,” the school’s website reads.
If your school has details to share about a meal program, please contact Greta Jochem at gjochem@gazettenet.com.