information from Seattle Public Schools

It is just a little more than two months since the start of the 2020-21 school year and the number of students receiving meals from Seattle Public Schools continues to grow.

As of the second week in November 2020, the SPS Nutrition Services Dept. is distributing an average of around 30,000 meals per day, which represents the highest number of distributed meals since SPS schools were closed last March due to coronavirus. The meals include breakfast and lunch meals for students, as well as a new program featuring fresh fruits and vegetables.

“Providing our students and families with daily meals is some of the most important work we can do, now even more so with our school buildings closed because of the pandemic” said SPS Superintendent Denise Juneau. “The hard work of our Nutrition Services Department, our warehouse and delivery teams, and many others is paying off with the growing number of people benefiting from the program.”

The work of the Nutrition Services team was recently highlighted by Seattle Public Schools in an informative video that describes the program and its importance for students and their families.

The video, produced by SPS TV, can be seen below.

Students can pick up their weekday meals at any of the 40 SPS school-based sites, most from 11:15 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. (times may vary).

Besides school-based distribution, meals are also distributed by bus on eight different routes, which are serviced by numerous buses.

Students and their families can get more information about the school-based sites and the bus routes on the SPS website.

SPS uses buses to deliver meals to some 40 different community centers, and it also has an ongoing partnership with the City of Seattle to provide meals in a variety of locations, depending on need.

In addition to the overall efforts of SPS Nutrition Services and other staff, Superintendent Juneau also called attention to partnerships with The Backpack Brigade and Amazon.

Amazon is delivering meals to the homes of some SPS students who are medically fragile, students with disabilities, students who are experiencing homelessness, and other students with need.

Amazon is leveraging its logistical expertise and donating services through its delivery network to provide meals to more than 2,000 students per week.

In total, it’s estimated that Amazon will deliver more than 500,000 meals to thousands of SPS students in 2020, with the plan to continue delivering meals into 2021. The meals, delivered through Amazon’s contactless pickup methods, are packed in boxes prepared by SPS Nutrition Services, with each box containing 10 meals.

When SPS was forced to close its school buildings last March, The Backpack Brigade was the first community organization to begin assisting SPS by providing meals for students. The Brigade is continuing its work, providing boxes of food that students and families can pick up for weekend meals.

For more information about the SPS Nutrition Services Department, please see the SPS website.