“I love making a difference in their life:” Free meals available to APS students for fall semester
Virtual learning has presented multiple challenges for parents, teachers, and students during the current school year.
For example, school districts in the Denver metro area scrambled to secure internet deals and mobile hotspots so students could learn from home. But the problems extend beyond classroom supplies. For many students, in-person schooling was a guarantee that they would have access to breakfast and lunch during the day. With students engaging in remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, food has not been as accessible.
This is why school systems like Aurora Public Schools (APS) are providing food pick-ups for parents and students.
With 40,000 students enrolled, APS is the fifth-largest school district in Colorado. Roughly 27,000 of those students (or about 68 percent) qualify for free and reduced lunch.
Wendy Gordillo knows the importance of school lunch for students, especially at South Middle School, where she is kitchen manager.
“I loved the school lunch and hanging around with my friends. That’s what my favorite memories of school were,” said Gordillo, who actually attended South Middle School when she was a kid.
When Rocky Mountain PBS stopped by South Middle School to get a look at the food pick-up, Gordillo’s team had already met their goal of giving out 100 meals to families.
According to APS director of nutrition services Shannon Solomon, 1.8 million meals were distributed to families from March 17 to August 14. “My team is incredibly proud of being out there every day,” Solomon said.
Parents will be able to rely on the food pick-up until at least December. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently announced that funding for the free meals will be extended through the entirety of the fall semester, which ends December 18. Meals for adults, made possible through the APS Foundation, will also be available through December.
“Families can pick up meals at any of our 47 districtwide drive-through grab-and-go school locations from 10:45-11:30 a.m,” APS administrators said in an email to parents. “Additionally, there is an evening option to pick up drive-through grab-and-go meals from 4:45-5:30 p.m. at APS’ five comprehensive high schools.”
For more information on where APS parents and students can pick up free meals, click here.
Teri, a mother of an APS student, said the food pick-up option is really valuable for parents who are at work and can’t make lunch for their children. Janyce, a grandmother of an APS student, pointed out that for some students, school lunches are the only meals available to them.
“Getting that fuel in our students’ bodies is super important, because in the classroom we recognize when a student is hungry, when a student maybe hasn’t eaten enough--they’re a little more off-task,” said Keralee Nice, the restorative liaison for South Middle School. “And so it’s really important that they’re fueling their bodies, because they’re fueling their brains.”
“I love making a difference in their life,” Gordillo said. “It feels great going home knowing that I fed kids for the day.”