With more than 60 percent of Muskegon County students receiving free or reduced-cost breakfast and lunch through their schools, (according to the Muskegon Independent School District) Muskegon Public Schools is working to make sure kids don’t go hungry during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer ordered all private and public schools shut down through April 5th, and school districts all over the state are grappling with the same dilemma—how are children who rely on the district for breakfast, lunch, and for some even dinner, going to be fed over the next three weeks…specifically in places like Muskegon, where, according the Michigan Department of Education, 82 percent of the student population qualifies for free lunch.
Muskegon Public Schools has launched a plan to ensure kids won’t face food insecurity during the government ordered school shutdown…by using buses. According to the district, as reported first by the Muskegon Times, “On a daily basis, the district will load breakfasts and lunches onto buses, which will then travel throughout the district to drop the food off for students."
Meanwhile next door, Muskegon Heights Public Schools is following suit, using a meals on wheels program, to deliver meals to students via school buses while schools remain closed due to the coronavirus pandemic that is sweeping the nation.
