The district will still distribute enough meals for students to have breakfast and lunch during the school week; however, food will only distributed Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. The 25 pickup sites, which include schools and apartment complexes, will remain the same. As of April 14, the district had served 259,811 meals, according to RISD Executive Director of Communications Tim Clark.
The change will help ensure the safety of staff, parents and students, according to the district’s website.
Any child age 18 or younger is eligible to receive the meals regardless of whether they are a RISD student. Adults picking up meals without a student present are required to show proof they have a school-age child. Acceptable documents include school-issued student IDs, report cards, birth certificates or a verification email sent out by the district April 1.
Providing meals during this time is essential for students, said Janet Bealer, cafeteria manager of Audelia Creek Elementary.
“We have to feed the kids,” Bealer said. “They need brain food.”
Below is a map of pickup locations in RISD.
