Every Tuesday, Lincoln Park Public Schools (LPPS) is distributing 28,000 breakfasts and lunches at no cost as part of its commitment to ensuring students have access to nutritious meals during the statewide school closure.

LPPS is operating a Meet Up and Eat Up site at Lincoln Park High School where parents can pick up the meals from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. each Tuesday. The program, made possible through the USDA, is open to students in the district 18 and younger and those young adults up to age 26 who are enrolled in the district's special education program.

"At Lincoln Park Public Schools, we are committed to ensuring our students continue to have access to healthy and nutritious meals despite the suspension of in-person learning for the remainder of the school year," said Terry Dangerfield, Superintendent of Lincoln Park Public Schools. "Many students rely on the meals they receive in school every day and we're glad to be able to provide them with 14 meals each week while our buildings are closed because of the COVID-19 crisis."

The Meet Up and Eat Up site at Lincoln Park High is run by Lincoln Park's food service Director Mark Rodriguez, who is assisted by staff members from the district's food service department. "Our staff and volunteers have stepped up to ensure we're still able to meet the food service needs of our students in these unprecedented times," said Rodriguez. "I'm proud to be a Railsplitter and honored to be part of this important effort to provide this critical service to families in our community."

The district had distributed 28,000 meals each week since the school closure began. Meals meet the guidelines set forth by the national school lunch program and include two ounces of protein, two pieces of bread, fruit and/or vegetables, and milk. All meals are prepackaged.

Dangerfield explains that additional precautions are being taken to ensure employees and volunteers are safe while performing meal distribution. In addition to gloves, masks, and plenty of handwashing, meals are distributed in a drive-thru style to reduce person-to-person interaction.

These are certainly anxious times, and LPPS is doing its part to maintain a sense of normalcy in their community. Rodriguez says, "In Lincoln Park, we're a family, and we will get through this together."

For more information, contact the Lincoln Park Public Schools Food Services Office at 313-383-5950.