Food For Schoolchildren: Champaign, Urbana, and other area school districts address how to feed students during remote learning this fall
Now that the 2020-21 school year is getting underway, public school districts around East Central Illinois have all adjusted their operating procedures in order to mitigate the public health threat posed by the ongoing pandemic. We kept track of the ever-changing reopening plans here, and we expect that districts will continue to pivot and adjust beyond these plans as circumstances demand.
When some — or all — students are learning remotely, districts have stepped up to ensure that children and families who depend on the meals provided at school will continue to receive them.
What follows is the food distribution information made available by area districts for students who would ordinarily receive free/reduced price meals at school. Please note that distribution procedures change often; we will do our best to keep this updated.
Please contact your child’s school directly if your family encounters any difficulties, and as always, we appreciate reader help in keeping this information as current as we can.
Champaign Unit 4 ( website 8/20/2020)
“During the period of 100% Distance Learning, the District will distribute 5-day meal boxes to Unit 4 families, similar to what we did during spring and summer 2020 COVID-19 school closures.
You’ll have two options to get meals: drive-thru sites or at-home delivery. Food distribution starts August 24.
DRIVE-THRU
- Sites at Booker T. Washington (beginning 8/24), Jefferson Middle School, and Garden Hills
- Open Mondays, 10am–1pm
- No pre-order required
AT-HOME DELIVERY
- Contact Food Services at (217) 351-3852 to set up at-home delivery
- Meals delivered Fridays, 10–11am
Meals
- Breakfast: K–12 follows a 4-week cycle menu
- Lunch: K–12 follows a 5-week cycle menu
- Special diets and vegetarian options are available—contact Food Services at (217) 351-3852 to pre-order meals.
For questions or concerns contact Unit 4 Food Services at (217) 351-3852 or email [email protected].”
Urbana School District 116 (via flyer 8/21/2020)
Meal Distribution Drive-up: All School Buildings — UHS, UMS, and Elementary Schools
Tuesdays: 11am -1pm, and Thursdays 11am -1pm, starting August 25
The breakfast and lunch meals picked up on Tuesday will be for Tuesday and Wednesday, and the meals picked up on Thursday will be for Thursday, Friday, and Monday.
- Go to a meal distribution site where one or more of your children attends. You will be able to pick up meals for all of your children at one of their home schools.
- Follow the signs directing you to the drive-up location.
- Drive up to the distribution tables but please stay in your vehicle.
- Give the staff member who approaches your vehicle your child’s/children’s name(s), grade(s), and school(s).
- The staff member will provide you with a meal for each of your Urbana School District #116 children.
We can only provide meals to students enrolled in Urbana schools for grades Kindergarten – 12th grade. We are required to record your child’s/children’s name(s), grade(s), and school(s) at the time of pick up. We will also have delivery to seven mobile home communities in Urbana. Please contact [email protected] with questions.
Mahomet-Seymour CUSD #3 (via website 8/20/2020)
“For students that are participating in the all off-campus learning option, families will be asked to sign-up for meals by the week. By signing up for meals, a student will receive a full week of both breakfast and lunch meals. More information on signing up for meals and delivery/pick-up will be forthcoming.”
From email to district parents:
- You will order meals for one week at a time.
- Meal pick up is on Mondays each week, or the first school day of the week, from 9-10 a.m. at Middletown Prairie Elementary, on the east side of the school.
- You will be charged for meals depending upon your family’s status as either pay/reduced/free.
- At meal pickup, you will receive meals for the entire week, no exceptions.
- Each week, you will receive a survey on Monday to fill out letting us know if you want to pick up meals on Monday OF THE FOLLOWING WEEK.
- Your meal order must be turned in by Wednesday of each week by 2:00 p.m.
Rantoul City Schools #137 (via Facebook 8/21/2020)
“Every Monday at Eater Jr High 4-6pm for K-8th graders. You must have a meal card inside your windshield which will be given to families at Parent/Teacher/Student conferences Aug 13th 12:30-8:30. Labor Day week – meal distribution moves to Tues, Sept 8th 4-6pm. If you need someone else to pick up the food for you, you must give them this meal card. There are different state guidelines for meal pickup than last spring. Now we have to account for each and every child by marking off individual names at pick up. Thank you!”
Rantoul Township High School #193 (via website 8/20/2020)
“Monday Meal Distribution: Meals will be available during the hours of 9:00-11:00. Students/Parents will need to come to the West Wing Entrance (the one way on Sheldon Street). All packaged lunches will qualify for the federal school lunch program and no a la carte options will be offered.”
