Parkway Provides Meals to Students

Parkway+staff+preparing+meal+boxes+for+the+week.+Photo+provided+by%3A%C2%A0Marlene+Pfeifferis

Parkway staff preparing meal boxes for the week. Photo provided by: Marlene Pfeifferis

Brooke Kraizer, News Editor/ Features Editor

Sometimes students rely on school for their meals. Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, the first nine weeks of the 2020-2021 school year is virtual until further notices. Therefore, Parkway came up with a system to provide meals for students that needed it. 

Marlene Pfeifferis, the Director of Nutrition Services, said that when Parkway announced school would be virtual, she could see the role her department would have an impact on the lives of Parkway students.

We knew there was a need in the community to continue to feed our students meals while they were virtually learning at home,” Pfeifferis said.

Just like at school there are many different options of what would be in the boxes, it ranges from Parkway cheeseburgers to taco salad as well as different fruits and vegetables.

“All foods are designed to meet the USDA food four of the five meal components for each meal,” Pfeifferis said.

Every Sunday families register to pick up meals for the following Wednesday. Meal pickup is every Wednesday from 4:30p.m.-5:30p.m. at Parkway Central High school. In each box there are five breakfast’s as well as five lunches for each student. 

Prices for meals depend on the different meal status of the specific family. For the families that are in the free meal status, the food is free. For those that are in the Reduced meal status, the cost is $3.50 per participant. Meals are also available for families who do not qualify for free and reduced meals, the pricing of their box is $29.25 weekly per student. 

As of Tuesday, Sept. 1, Parkway has served 260 students each week with both five breakfasts and five lunches, which adds up to2,600 meals distributed weekly.

With everything going on right now making sure students have meals for the week is something important and Parkway will continue to do this until further notice.

 

For more information use this link

 

Dr. Marty Unloading food to be packaged and put into boxes. Photo provided by Marlene Pfeifferis.