School districts still making sure students have meals while learning from home

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    St. Louis, MO (KMOV ) — With the new school year underway many students are learning from home. On top of not being in the classroom, online learning also means students aren’t in the cafeteria either.

Many school districts have been giving out meals to students since schools shut down in March. That includes the University City School District which usually provides free breakfast and lunch to its students thanks to a federal USDA program.

Since March the district has given out more than 375,000 meals. Every Tuesday the district hosts a drive-thru giveaway. You have to go to the district’s website and fill out a form so the district knows how many prepackaged meals it needs to prepare.

“Families have lost jobs, they have additional expenses with childcare because of the closure, so even those who are working and are able to provide some support, having those meals is just an extra layer of support we can provide them,” U City Superintendent Sharonica Hardin-Bartley said.

In the Mehlville School District, a new USDA waiver will allow it to give away meals free of charge beginning next week. One thing that makes it different, cafeteria staff prepares breakfast and lunch hot and ready to go every day.

As a result, the district is able to provide some fan favorites like spicy chicken sandwiches and Asian chicken bites.

“We want to make things as normal as possible for our students and one way we can do that is through school food and offering them some student favorite entrees as well as including some fruits and vegetables, milk and every school is out curbside between 10:30 and 12:30 to provide those warm meals to families as they try to figure out their new schedules,” Katie Gegg said.

The Mehlville School District distributed 100,000 meals between March and July.

Both districts hope the meals bring a sense of normalcy to students all while ensuring they get their proper nutrition while learning at home.

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