WSSD Offering Meals to Kids
Cars lined up to receive free meals from WSSD.
On Thursday, April 2, the Wallingford-Swarthmore School District started distributing free meals to children 18 and younger. Families needing the service were asked to sign up ahead of time on the WSSD website, but administrators were unsure how many to expect. By mid-morning, cars were lined up along Copples Lane outside the school.
“I’m surprised at the level of need,” said WSSD Business Administrator Martha Kew. “But I shouldn’t be. The world is different.”
340 children received meals between 10 a.m. and noon.
The response prompted administrators to revise procedures for the second distribution on Monday, April 6. They moved the distribution site to the Brookhaven Road entrance to Strath Haven High School and worked from tables set up outside the cafeteria. The original plan had been to distribute meals twice a week, but that was increased to three times a week: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday (except for the week of April 6, when it will be Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday).
WSSD’s food service vendor, the Nutrition Group, prepares the meals. They are distributed by a variety of district employees, including instructional aides and the business administrator herself. Kew added, “We’re doing as much social distancing as we can.” The staff asks drivers how many meals they need, then deposits them in the trunk.
Approximately 300 kids received meals on the second day, Kew said.
School Meals Without School
Administrators had been hearing from local leaders since the middle of March that some district families were struggling. School closures prevent students enrolled in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) from getting meals at school. The economic repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic and the commonwealth’s stay-at-home order puts food-insecure families further at risk.
In a March 16 email, WSSD Superintendent Lisa Palmer offered limited resources to families, including grocery store gift cards and the addresses of local food banks. Then, on March 29, the school district received permission from the Pennsylvania Department of Education and the USDA to serve meals while schools were closed, according to a March 30 email from Palmer. WSSD is now operating a so-called “open site,” meaning that kids 18 and younger can receive meals whether or not they are enrolled in NSLP.
Nether Providence Commissioner Micah Knapp, who had pushed administrators to address nutritional needs, was pleased. “Nether Providence was very happy with the school district’s rapid implementation of grab-and-go meals,” he said. He was impressed with how quickly the district altered its plan to meet the unexpectedly large need. “You can tell that they care about this.”
Beyond Meals
Knapp reported that Nether Providence and the district were working together on other issues created by the COVID-19 pandemic. Providing Wi-Fi for students who lack internet access is one challenge. “We can do a great deal for students and residents by coordinating efforts and using complementary resources and strengths.”
Palmer too is looking beyond feeding students. Her March 29 email alerted families that the Pennsylvania Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) is available for children needing coverage. CHIP is always open for enrollment and has no upper income limit for families.
