Fort Worth begins distributing meals to children during coronavirus school closings
Fort Worth area schools began distributing free lunches on Monday.
Fort Worth ISD officials said on Friday they were working with the Tarrant Area Food Bank to prepare “to go” lunches that students could pick up during the closure, which was ordered to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
The district is one of several throughout Tarrant County that has extended its spring break by at least two weeks, acting on guidance from county public health officials.
Superintendent Kent P. Scribner said in a news release on Saturday that the district’s Child Nutrition Services Department and its vendor Sodexo will provide healthy “to-go” lunches from food trucks from Monday-Friday at eight district schools.
Nicole Gutierrez, a Sodexo employee, said two or three adults who came to the De Zavala Elementary School location were told to retrieve their children in order to get food, but that only one adult seemed upset by the news.
“The others seemed fine with making the return trip,” Gutierrez said.
Children do not have to attend a school in the Fort Worth ISD in order to get food, just be 18 or younger, district spokesman Clint Bond said.
Bianca Weitz, 44, walked 25 minutes accompanied by four children to pick up food for her children and a neighbor’s child.
“It was good exercise,” Weitz said. “We had a good walk and now we get to eat.”
There are 82,000 children in the Fort Worth school district who qualify for free lunches as well as 96 schools that qualify for a program where students can have meals at no cost regardless of financial background. School districts across the country including Fort Worth ISD have had to grapple with the impact of closing schools on students who rely on lunches.
The district provided a list of the schools and when the meals will be available, and how many meals were served at these locations during specific times on Monday:
- Meals will be available from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Springdale Elementary School at 3207 Hollis St. Had 76 meals served as of 11:30 a.m.
- Meals will be available from noon to 1:30 p.m. at Manual Jara Elementary School at 2100 Lincoln Ave. Had 93 meals served as of 1:30 p.m.
- Meals will be available from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at Western Hills Elementary School at 2805 Laredo Drive. Had 52 meals served as of 11:30 a.m.
- Meals will be available from noon to 1:30 p.m. at Hubbard Heights Elementary School at 1333 W. Spurgeon St. Had 136 meals served as of 1:30 p.m.
- Meals will be available from 10 to 11:30 am. at Paul L. Dunbar High School at 5700 Ramey Ave. Had 47 meals served as of 11:30 a.m.
- Meals will be available from noon to 1:30 p.m. at Eastern Hills High School at 5701 Shelton St. Had 75 meals served as of 1:30 p.m.
- Meals will be available from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at Clifford Davis Elementary School at 4300 Campus Drive. Had 65 meals served as of 11:30 a.m.
- Meals will be available from noon to 1:30 p.m. at De Zavala Elementary School at 1419 College Ave. Had 86 meals served as of 1:30 p.m.
- Meals will be available from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at Polytechnic High School at 1300 Conner Ave.
- Beginning March 18, meals will be available from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at Como Montessori at 4001 Littlepage St.
This story was originally published March 16, 2020 at 5:28 PM.
