School districts transition to summer feeding
Published 7:00 am Tuesday, May 26, 2020
- Healthy to go: In this photo taken earlier this year, Deneen Shoemake, left, bags a cheeseburger for a grab and go lunch while Theresa Volden prepares to deliver the food to a car at Picayune Junior High. File photo by Cathy Cook | Picayune Item
With the school year at an end, school districts that offer them are transitioning to summer feeding programs. Free grab and go meals will be available for children 18 and younger from the Picayune and Poplarville school districts’ summer feeding programs.
The Pearl River County School District has concluded its school year feeding program and does not have a summer feeding program.
The Picayune School District will continue to distribute grab and go lunches as it did during the semester, said Superintendent Dean Shaw. Staff did not distribute meals on Memorial Day since it was a holiday.
The summer feeding program will run through July 31.
The Poplarville School District’s school year feeding program has concluded. The District’s summer feeding program will run from June 1 to June 26, said Child Nutrition Director Laine Jackson. No meals will be served the week of May 25.
Children must be present to receive a grab and go meal. For both summer feeding programs, children do not need to be enrolled in the school district to receive a free meal.
Grab and Go Locations
The Picayune School District grab and go meals are distributed Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at four sites: Roseland Park Elementary, Picayune Junior High, South Side Elementary and Nicholson Elementary. The grab and go meals include lunch and breakfast for the next day.
The Poplarville School District will continue to distribute grab and go meals at the Middle School of Poplarville on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. On Mondays and Wednesdays, children will receive enough food for two lunches and two breakfasts. On Fridays, they will receive one breakfast and one lunch.
The district has added some popular dishes to its menu, including spaghetti, cheesy chicken over rice, nachos and pulled pork sandwiches, said Jackson.