ELSD receives grant to provide students with weekend meals
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EAST LIVERPOOL - With approximately 1,600 of the 1,900 students enrolled in the East Liverpool Schools qualifying for the free lunch program, the district sought out ways to help families in need meet the students' nutritional needs.
In addition to providing all students with free breakfast and lunch, the district recently applied for and was awarded a grant from Children Hunger Alliance for its Weekend Meals Program.
The Children Hunger Alliance is an organization that started in 1970 and has since worked to ensure Ohio children have access to healthy foods to help maintain their health.
Through the program, students who qualify for the free lunch program can get a weekend meal box containing two meal packs - one for Saturday and one for Sunday. Each meal pack contains items for breakfast and lunch such as cereals, snack/fruit bars, beef sticks, cheese sticks, and healthy snacks such as sweet potato chips. Each meal pack contains approximately 10 items with a shelf life of three to six months and can be stored at room temperature. The items in the packs change weekly.
For eligible families with more than one child in the household, each receives their own meal pack.
Joy Bock, food services manager for the district, said all the eligible children at elementary and middle school are taking advantage of the free weekend meals. The program just launched at the high school where they are working on getting the students used to taking the meal packs.
"I think it's a great opportunity because there is a need," Bock said.
Parents and students have been sent individual emails to let them know the meal packs are available.
Megan Hernandez, communications director for the district, said they currently set up a table at the bus line during dismissal for students to grab a box.
"We have done food going home in backpacks on a much smaller scale for students that we knew had a need, but this enables us to give one to almost every kid," Bock said.
To help meet the needs over the summer, Bock has applied for summer funding in which food kits can be distributed to students at the district's summer programs. She has also already applied for the grant for next school year.
The district also participates in a fruit and vegetable program that provides fresh fruits and vegetables to each classroom in grades pre-school through fifth to introduce them to healthy foods. The fruits and vegetables are used as a classroom snack once a week.