Collier County students might call it an extended Spring Break, while parents call statewide public school closures a struggle.
Monday, March 16th 2020, 10:21 PM EDT by Jennifer Kveglis
COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. – Collier County students might call it an extended Spring Break, while parents call statewide public school closures a struggle.
Some parents working full-time amid the coronavirus closure relied on free or reduced lunches for their kids. A collaboration of Collier County community partners, the Boys & Girls Club, Collier Public Schools, and Harry Chapin Food Bank are making sure no child or family goes hungry.
“To be frank, all of us are entering uncharted territory here,” Richard LeBer, president & CEO of Harry Chapin Food Bank, said. Harry Chapin Food Bank feeds one in five families in Collier County.
He said, “We anticipate, depending on how badly the outbreak of Coronavirus gets that there may be a lot of families that help. In some cases because people are sick and they are home and they’re caring for kids and the kids may be home from school of course.” Beginning Tuesday, Collier Public Schools will hand out free meals from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 27 sites:
- Avalon Elementary
- Big Cypress Elementary
- Calusa Park Elementary
- Cypress Palm Middle
- East Naples Middle
- Eden Park Elementary
- Estates Elementary
- Everglades City School
- Golden Gate Elementary
- Golden Gate High
- Golden Gate Middle
- Golden Terrace Elementary
- Highlights Elementary
- Immokalee High
- Lake Trafford Elementary
- Lely Elementary
- Lely High
- Manatee Middle
- Mike Davis Elementary
- Naples Park Elementary
- Palmetto Elementary
- Palmetto Ridge High
- Parkside Elementary
- Pinecrest Elementary
- Poinciana Elementary
- Shadowlawn Elementary
- Village Oaks Elementary
Meanwhile, Harry Chapin Food Bank plans to cover the back end with mobile pantries. The child must be present at the drive to receive a meal.
He said, “The public school sites will be great for people who can get in their car and get a meal, but we want to make sure that we’re covering all the various communities and so we’ll be at other locations as well.” Before Collier Schools’ locations launch Tuesday, Boys & Girls Club of Collier County opened a drive-thru meal exchange at their East Naples and Immokalee locations. Employees delivered meals to students’ homes, who could not find transportation.
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