Columbus City Schools will add a new distribution site at Dominion Middle School Monday to provide free meals for Columbus kids.
Since launching Monday at 13 locations, children have picked up over 16,600 meals, including nearly 2,000 breakfasts that have already been distributing in advance of tomorrow's breakfast. Food Services director Joe Brown says the program continues to evolve.
"Columbus Public Health has come out and checked our sites for us. And they made recomendation regarding having food as close to the door as possible, so families don't actually need to come into the schools".
The boxed meals are available to all Columbus kids under 18, whether or not they are district students. Breakfast is served from 8 AM to 9 AM, and lunch from 11 AM to 1 PM. Children can pick up one box of each. Brown says he's talking to school district officials all around the country.
"But in particular have regular communications with both Cincinnati and Cleveland, the two other large school districts within the state. We are running similar programs; we trade ideas and share thoughts on what's working in each area."
It will take time to calculate the cost to the district of the meal distribution program. But Brown notes that - as an extension of the districts free breakfast and lunch program - the cost of food will be reimbursed by the federal government. More information and a map of all 15 sites is available at the Columbus City Schools website.
