Willoughby-Eastlake Schools feeds students in need

By Patricia Nugent

The closing of Willoughby-Eastlake School District buildings last year and shift to virtual learning due to Covid presented a myriad of challenges to students, teachers, administrators and staff.

Thankfully, for students and their families in need, the district was able to continue its vital role of feeding the community.

“Though typically in the summer we only prepare food for the summer school students, in light of the pandemic, last summer we expanded the Summer Feeding Program to keep families going with pantry staples,” says Stephanie Kemna, RD, who is director of dining services for the district.

When the schools closed in October, they were able to keep the program operating at full capacity, serving more than 1,200 students and their families each week.

“At both high schools, parents drive up to get the grab-and-go bags of food during the day or evening on Wednesdays,” she says, noting the federally funded program is run through the Ohio Department of Education.

Her kitchen staff is made up of 60 foodservice people who help prepare, wrap up and bag up the food.

Each package includes a week’s worth of meals and contains a frozen bag with items such as burgers, frozen pizza, chicken nuggets, hot dogs or mini pancakes, and a dry bag with things like cereal, fruit cups, juices or granola bars.

“When the schools went on holiday break, we made sure we disbursed enough food to last a family over the three weeks of vacation, with staples including milk and produce,” says Stephanie. “The program has been very successful, and we’ve seen big turnouts. People are really appreciative of what we do. That means a lot. We know who is coming each week and never turn anyone away.”

Look for these monthly stories to cover topics from grades k-12 in the Willoughby-Eastlake City Schools System. Anyone interested in receiving food can find out more and sign up online at WESchools.org.