Apr 8

Apr 8 LCPS personnel volunteer to keep meal distribution going over Easter

A young student receives a hot lunch and next-day breakfast at one of the 20 delivery points LCPS buses travel to each weekday. Bus delivery of meals and curbside pickup at five schools will continue during the school district’s Easter break, which begins Friday and continues through the week of April 13. Submitted photo.

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Lenoir County Public Schools personnel have volunteered to forego time off to help the district continue to distribute no-cost lunches and breakfasts during its scheduled Easter break, which begins on Friday.

LCPS Child Nutrition Director Danelle Smith and Assistant Superintendent Nicholas Harvey II, whose responsibilities include oversight of student services, announced the feeding program would continue without change or interruption on Friday, a state holiday, and during the week of April 13.

More than 60 Child Nutrition staff, bus drivers, teacher assistants, custodians and other school personnel will work on a rotating basis to keep the program going, according to Smith.

“This is not a normal Easter break,” Smith said. “Many of the children in the community and their families are in crisis. All of us are coming together and pulling together as one to feed the children.”

The feeding program provides curbside pickup of hot lunches and next-day breakfasts at five schools --Kinston North Lenoir and South Lenoir high schools, Southeast Elementary and E.B. Frink Middle – and distributes the same meals by school bus to 20 designated locations throughout the county.

Youth 18 and younger and all LCPS students regardless of age are eligible to receive the no-cost meals. Under relaxed USDA rules, parents are allowed to pick up meals for their children.

LCPS’s program began March 17, the day after public schools closed across the state due to the viral pandemic. As of Monday, 54,252 meals had been distributed.

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On a typical school day, Child Nutrition serves about 8,000 meals at its 17 cafeterias, all at no cost to students. Bridging the nutrition gap created by school closure made the no-cost feeding program – and its continuance during Easter break – an essential function, according to Harvey.

“We’re making every effort to reach as many children as we can,” he said.

Curbside pickup at the five schools is available each weekday from 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. The schedule of bus stops is below. Buses will be at each stop for approximately 15 minutes. Designation of schools is simply a key to attendance zones and the areas in which meals will be delivered. Any eligible youth or LCPS student, as well as their family members, can receive meals at any location.