GREEN BAY (NBC26) — Many local schools started offering free meals to children back in March when the pandemic first hit Wisconsin. Six months later, they're still giving out free lunch and breakfast every day.
Families pick up meals directly from schools, but even if a child isn't enrolled in a school district, they can still get a free breakfast and lunch. Kaitlin Tauriainen, Child Nutrition Coordinator for the Ashwaubenon School District, says dozens of families still come to pick up meals at the high school every day.
“It’s been such a difficult time for people to just deal with everything that’s going on right now," said Tauriainen. "We just want to take this one worry away from them if we can. We’re hoping to relieve some stress for the families and just make sure that everybody who needs the food is getting fed.”
The USDA program has allowed them, and other schools all over the country, to make sure no child goes hungry.
“We’ve had some success stories of people that maybe weren’t able to eat very much food before start eating again," said Tauriainen. "It’s been really great to see how we’re making a positive impact on the community.”
The Green Bay School District is trying to make the meals more accessible to everyone, said Kristina Shelton, Vice President of the School Board.
“We know kids are hungry and we got to feed them," she said. “That is an issue with a lot of families: getting to the schools to pick up the meals right, transportation.”
They're thinking of creative ways to get meals to families, especially once winter starts.
If you're looking to pick up free meals in Appleton, click here.
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