Kearney School District Serves 82,000 Meals to Students

On March 13, students and staff were released for Kearney School District’s 2020 Spring Break. Shortly thereafter, the announcement came that returning to school would be delayed, and ultimately the delay ended in-person classes for the rest of the school year.

The end of in person classes required immediate action to meet the needs of students

The announcements sent many staff members into immediate action developing plans to meet the needs of students while they were at home. In addition to continuing education, it also meant the continued need of finding ways to feed students.

With quick action, KSD staff members collaborated to begin meal services for pick-up and delivery on March 16. From that day, through July 31, KSD served 82,000 meals to students of all ages. 

There were so many different pieces to this process, and there’s no doubt that the success of this program would not have been possible without everyone who was involved. Southwest Foodservice Excellence did amazing work in preparing plans and meals during the spring and summer. Durham Transportation staff members coordinated bus routes and drove meals to families.

Jeff Morrison, Assistant Superintendent, and Dave Schwarzenbach, Activities Director, spent countless hours coordinating the day-to-day operations and communicating with families to get them registered. Many KSD staff members stepped in to the role of distributing meals whether through the pick-up lines or bus services.

Last week, KSD announced that free meal services will continue to all students ages 1- 18 in the KSD boundaries through extended funding of the USDA. Meals are available for pick up for those not attending school in person from 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. at Kearney Elementary.

KPGZ News – Brian Watts contributed to this story