The Kansas City, Kansas, school board on Tuesday night, Sept. 8, asked why there wasn’t more participation in the district’s free meals program.
School started on Tuesday, with the free “grab-and-go” meals program starting today at district public schools. Pre-registration is required.
At the Tuesday, Sept. 8, KCK school board meeting, district officials said they had planned three meal distributions a week, but with an announcement last week of USDA funding, they will offer two meals each weekday, beginning next week.
Under the USDA rules, meals will be free to children ages 1 to 18 years old, and will include any child, not just those in the school district, said Josh Mathiasmeier, director of nutritional services for the school district. The program will continue to Dec. 31 or whenever the funding runs out, he said.
The district is expanding the number of sites available to 31 this fall, he said at the school board meeting.
Meals this week will be picked up from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Wednesday and Friday at more than 30 school locations. Students need to pre-register for the meals at 913-627-3900. Next week they will be available each weekday.
Board member Wanda Brownlee Paige said she had received phone calls about the program. She said some parents were not able to get to the nutrition sites. If the sites were seven to 10 blocks away, and parents have little children, walking can be a safety issue, she said.
“What are we doing to assist them to get their food?” she asked.
Mathiasmeier said by expanding from six to 31 sites, it will cut down on the distance that people have to travel. A district committee also is discussing using buses for food distribution, he said.
Paige responded that the families need help now.
Dr. Alicia Miguel, interim superintendent, said they are meeting on Wednesday to discuss providing transportation for the program.
Dr. Miguel said they know it is not just isolated cases and it is an issue district-wide. They want to decide how to identify families that need some type of delivery, she said.
Dr. Valdenia Winn asked how many children were using the free meals program.
According to Mathiasmeier, there were about 1,600 breakfasts and lunches that were pre-ordered as of Tuesday afternoon. He said about 1,700 families have participated in the program since COVID-19 began.
Dr. Wnn said it was not a large number, out of the district’s 22,000 students.
Dr. Miguel said they would engage the principals more, in the conversations.
Paige said it took people who went door to door to find out that families weren’t participating in the program because they didn’t have transportation.
Participating schools include Harmon, Schlagle and Washington high schools; Carl Bruce, Central, Eisenhower, Gloria Willis and Rosedale middle schools; KCKECC and Morse early childhood centers; Bridges alternative school; Banneker, Caruthers, Claude Huyck, Douglass, Emerson, Frances Willard, Frank Rushton, Hazel Grove, John Fiske, Lowell Brune, M.E. Pearson, Mark Twain, McKinley, New Chelsea, Quindaro, Silver City, Stony Point South, Stony Point North, T.A. Edison and Welborn elementary schools.
On Thursday, Sept. 10, according to district information, fresh produce will be distributed in boxes from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Harmon and Schlagle high schools, Arrowhead, Carl Bruce and ROsedale middle schools and Banneker Elementary School. For more information, visit www.kckps.org.
