Restaurants, volunteers help Durham Public Schools feed families in need
Starting Thursday, families in Durham will be able to get free meals again.
A program offered by Durham County Public Schools was suspended after an employee tested positive for COVID-19.
The program was a huge help to families and for students who rely on school-provided lunches during the academic year. Before the operation shut down, meals were handed out daily at 17 sites, and staffers handed out more than 27,000 lunches during the first week.
After an employee who was distributing food tested positive for the coronavirus, organizations stepped up to fill the void, but those efforts have now been expanded thanks to help from the community.
Free children’s breakfasts and lunches are now being prepared by Durham restaurants, and adults will get essential ingredients or family-style casseroles. Wake County Schools has a similar program, offering almost 30 meal pickup sites to students and families.
Magan Gonzalez-Smith, Executive Director for the Durham Public Schools Foundation, said the meals are needed and appreciated. More than 60% of students in the Durham County school district receive free or reduced-price lunches at school.
Meals will be offered to families at dozens of Durham schools on either Mondays and Thursdays or on Tuesdays and Fridays. You can find a list of pickup sites here.
How to help
In its announcement, the school system said it was grateful for the outreach from many parents and community members asking how they can help. The system is encouraging the community to take any food donations to the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle or Food Bank of Central and Eastern NC.
