NORTH SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — During this national emergency, schools in New York State are required to close their doors by Wednesday. In Onondaga County, County Executive Ryan McMahon made the decision to close the schools by Monday afternoon, after the first positive case of COVID-19 in the area.
Now, each district is coming up with different strategies to feed the kids.
In the North Syracuse Central School District, they’ll be providing free pre-packaged meals Monday through Friday at eleven different sites within the district as well as at the Bridgeport Diner.
Bus drivers, teachers, and those within the foodservice department are volunteering their time to serve grab and go breakfast and lunch to the kids who would otherwise be missing out. The meals include things like cereal bars, crackers, a juice box, and milk.
By Tuesday, they served more than one hundred meals, and they know that number will keep growing.
“In North Syracuse, the free and reduced lunch population has been increasing over the last few years. We’re currently at Rox Middle and Roxboro Middle has the highest need of our two middle schools,” said Dan Bowles, the Superintendent of the North Syracuse Central School District.
It’s a trying time for the volunteers since they’re not sure what their future holds. However, they do know a simple meal brings comfort to these families.
“The parents, Uhm, you could see the worry, and the kids don’t understand,” Ramos said.
Still, the district is doing everything they can, providing Chromebooks for the kids to take home and figuring out a way to continue mental health and counseling services.
The meals will be available for parents to pick up Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m.
The district recommends parents bring a bag so they can easily carry the meals.
Click this link to see all of the pickup sites for the North Syracuse Central School District.
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