WACO, TX — Many have had to shift aspects in their lives to adjust to the coronavirus pandemic. One thing that hasn't changed- the availability of school lunches for Texas students.
While available lunches haven't changed, the places to pick them up have.
Even with school out, the school lunch program makes sure students across Texas get good nutrition, especially at breakfast and lunch. The needs keep changing, and so do the pickup locations.
A steady stream of cars comes through Highland Baptist Church every weekday as parents come to pick up school lunches.
Jairo Romero calls school lunches a life-saver as grocery store shelves get more bare by the day.
"Well, I just went to the store to find some apples, couldn't find any apples, so I'd say it's pretty hard right now," he explained.
At sites across Texas, at schools, and at churches, school districts make sure good goes to hungry families as part of the Federal School Lunch Program. It provides breakfast and lunch every day, and enough on Friday to get a child through the weekend.
Willie Jurode of College Station calls it a blessing.
"It comes in handy. Like if you're low on groceries or anything, all you got to do is just crank up your car and drive like two minutes to the school," he said.
That's why school districts constantly track where the crowds go to pick up this food, constantly changing pick-up points to feed the most children.
”The goal is kind of to watch things daily and as we hear things, basically adjust to them, with the goal of how many kids can we get this food to and especially those in need,” explained Cliff Reese, Food Service Director for Waco ISD.
So pick up sites at Alta Vista and Meadowbrook will get consolidated into a much bigger operation at River City Church starting Tuesday.
Now, families in Waco don't even need a car. They can get a free ride to pick up lunches on Waco Transit buses, because families need to eat.
"What would I be doing if you didn't have this? Shoot, I'd try to find it any way possible to get me and my family ahead," said Romero.
Organizers say their aim is to make sure no child goes hungry during this crisis anywhere in the State of Texas.
