Less than a week after it started, the St. Tammany Parish public school district’s “grab and go” free meal distribution program is being halted in the face of Gov. John Bel Edwards’ “stay-at-home” order, school officials said Monday afternoon.
When schools were closed statewide a week ago to combat the spread of coronavirus, St. Tammany schools Superintendent Trey Folse said that it was a priority to make sure children who rely on the meals would still be fed. Forty-eight percent of the district’s nearly 40,000 students are on free or reduced lunch, and the meals were provided free to children 18 and younger.
Schools spokeswoman Meredith Mendez said Monday that the district did everything it could to continue the program, but the statewide shelter-at-home order by Edwards that began at 5 p.m. Monday presented insurmountable challenges.
The meals were distributed and prepared at the district’s eight high schools, and Mendez said a larger number of staff members were needed in part because the assembly required, and that meant more people in a relatively small space.
The school kitchens were not designed to make to-go food, she said.
The meal program also depended on volunteers to distribute the food — administrators, PTA members, teachers, police officers and community members — and the district couldn’t predict how the governor’s order would affect the number of people helping, she said.
Parents and guardians who waited in car lines at the sites Monday to pick up the free hot lunches and pre-packaged breakfasts were also given a flyer informing them that it was the last day for the program.
The program was launched March 18 and the intention was to continue it at least through April 9, according to the school system.
In a news release, the district said it is looking at “alternative ways to distribute food to families in our community, and state officials have advised us there may be other statewide meal distribution possibilities.”
Mendez said it’s too early to say what that might be.
St. Tammany, like numerous districts across the state, had taken the lead in meal distribution in parishes, and as of Monday had distributed 45,538 meals during the four days it was in operation. That includes lunches and breakfasts.
More than a hundred cars lined up at Covington High School on the first day, and Mendez said the numbers increased daily. The district only saw a dip one day, Friday, at two of the sites, Pearl River High School and Lakeshore High School.
“We know this is an important service for our families in need at this time, but the safety and health of our students, employees and community remain our top priority,” Folse said in a prepared statement.
“I sincerely appreciate the STPPS Food Service Managers, school administrators, and the PTA and community volunteers who worked last week and today to provide this service to our families. We will continue to follow the guidance of health officials as we evaluate the best and safest ways for our School System to provide support.”
Mendez said that Folse believes that St. Tammany’s schools do far more than educate children, providing hot meals and the support of teachers who care about them.
“It was a hard decision,” she said.
The school district will provide updates when possible, school officials said.
Across the region the meal distribution programs have been a lifeline for many people struggling to put food on the table as the coronavirus crisis puts unprecedented stresses on the economy, with news of new job losses arriving daily.
In New Orleans nearly 22,000 meals were served at 44 locations last Friday. And in Jefferson Parish, 38,000 meals were distributed over three days last week.
In many cases, officials said, the meals provided at the school sites are the most nutritious many children receive.
