Area school districts continuing to work to provide meals for students, families
CASEY MCCARTHY | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 4 years, 6 months AGO
Zuri Zayas, left, chats with an Othello resident as they pull up at the meal distribution stop beside Othello High School as Maria Figueroa hands them some packages of bread last Thursday, May 7.
Casey McCarthy/The Sun Tribune
Casey McCarthy/The Sun Tribune Jezabel Pinales, left, waits for the next car to pull up as Marina Barrera, looks over her checklist at the meal distribution stop at Othello High School last Thursday, May 7.
Casey McCarthy/The Sun Tribune Jezabel Pinales hands the prepared meals to a community member at the Othello School District’s meal distribtution stop near the bus loop at Othello High School last Thursday, May 7.
Casey McCarthy/The Sun Tribune Left, Kimberly Porter brings a meal pack to a waiting student and family while Zuri Zayas and Marina Barrera, right, get set for the next order on Thursday afternoon.
Casey McCarthy/The Sun Tribune Left to right, Jezabel Pinales, Kimberly Porter, Pak Fiith, Diana Valdez, Zuri Zayas, Marina Barrera and Danita Porter take a moment between cars pulling in for meal pickups on Thursday afternoon at Othello High School.
Casey McCarthy/The Sun Tribune Left to right, Pak Fiith, Jezabel Pinales and Kimberly Porter hand out meals at the bus loop stop at Othello High School on Thursday, May 7.
OTHELLO — School districts continue to do their part to ensure that students and families have meals available to them each week as businesses slowly try to open back up.
Othello School District food service worker Marina Barrera was working with her group at the Othello High School bus loop stop last Thursday, May 7, handing out meals to students. Barrera said they have typically handed out about 220 meals a day at just this one stop. She said they prepare more than 950 meals per day.
“It’s very important right now because nobody has any food right now because they’re not working,” Barrera said. “And it’s really sad seeing them that they don’t have any food and this is their only way of eating breakfast and dinner.”
Barrera said she sees a lot of happiness and joy from families and students as they drive through to pick up meals each day. Items such as chocolate milk, bread and chips are always well received, Barrera said.
“We get a lot of students,” she added
Othello’s meal distribution program provides two meals, one for lunch that day and another for breakfast the following morning. Four locations along the bus route in Othello are available for meal pickup five days a week: Wahitis Elementary, Lutacaga Elementary, Hiawatha Elementary and Othello High School.
Barrera said they’ll keep the program going through the rest of the school year, possibly continuing into the summer as well.
Royal School District is providing twice-a-week meal pickups through its program, with meals available between 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Fridays.
Tuesday deliveries include breakfast and lunch for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Friday meal packs contain breakfast and lunch for Friday and Monday. Meals are also made available at the Royal High School cafeteria from 3 to 6 p.m. the same days for families unable to make the other delivery time.
Wahluke School District has elected to offer a once-a-week handout of a week’s worth of meals. From 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. every Monday, meals for the week are available for drive-thru pickup at Saddle Mountain Elementary School. Student meal drop-offs are also available at the same location and time.
Students and families in the Wahluke School District who are unable to make it to the pickup location and need meals are encouraged to call the school at 509-932-4565. Meal pickups will continue to be available through the school closure, or until the district is notified otherwise.
Warden School District is delivering meals to students along the bus routes and at scheduled parks, Monday through Friday each week.
