Once it was announced that Pennsylvania schools would be closed effective March 16 due to COVID-19 restrictions, it did not take long for Cathy Koenig, director of student services for Pequea Valley School District (PVSD), to connect with Adam Nagle, director of The Factory Ministries. "I asked him, 'How can we partner to get lunches out to families (in PVSD)?'" recalled Koenig. "He said, 'Let me talk to my team.'" According to Koenig, two hours later, a plan was in place, and PVSD contacted families electronically to let them know about the availability of lunches for all students in the district.
Koenig worked with Karla Neff, director of PV elementary advocacy at The Factory Ministries, to devise a plan that originally passed out lunches on Tuesdays and Thursdays beginning March 19. The program soon switched to a single distribution on Wednesdays. Lunches, which can simply be picked up by all families with children in PVSD, are now distributed each Wednesday from noon to 2 p.m. and 5 to 6 p.m. at The Factory Ministries, located in the Together Community Center, 3293 Lincoln Highway East, Paradise. Multiple brown bag lunches are given out. Each brown bag lunch generally includes a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, juice or milk, chips, and fruit or vegetables. A drive-through system is utilized. PVSD families that have questions or need to pick up lunches at a different time may call Gavin Scalyer, director of food services, at 717-768-5513 or Neff at 717-687-9594, ext. 206, or email Karla_neff@pequeavalley.org.
Not long after lunch distribution began, representatives of Limeville United Methodist Church, 5783 Limeville Road, Gap, contacted Neff about providing breakfast to PVSD students. Beginning March 30, the church partnered with The Factory, PVSD, and members of the community to provide five days of breakfasts. Breakfasts usually include cereal such as granola, yogurt, milk, and sometimes fresh fruit. Neff noted that the breakfasts are a collaborative effort, with the school district providing cereal and The Factory bringing milk or other items to the table in conjunction with the church and the community. The breakfasts are packaged based on the number of children in a family and delivered to the family's car. Breakfasts will be available for pickup on Mondays from 11 a.m. to noon at the church. Those wishing to receive breakfast foods should register by texting or calling Caitlyn Kirkner at 610-844-8742 and providing her with a name and the number of students in the household.
In addition, the Supplemental Weekend Meal Program, which serves Paradise and Salisbury elementary learners and is housed at Ridgeview Mennonite Church, will continue through the end of the school year. Pickup for this program will be on Wednesdays from noon to 2 p.m. or 5 to 7 p.m. at the Together Community Center. Questions about this program should be directed to Koenig at 717-768-5577.
During the first week, about 100 lunches were distributed to 30 area students. During the first two weeks, more than 230 lunches reached 99 families. "We have had families who have come to pick up lunch at The Factory Ministries, who have been able to access other resources and services that they needed," noted Koenig, who relayed that some families have signed up to take part in The Factory Market Food Drive-Through or to meet with an advocate to discuss other needs. "That was a cool bonus," Koenig said. Neff credited the many volunteers who are coming to The Factory with helping to make the program work.
Koenig noted that PVSD and The Factory are working toward the common goal of providing support for PVSD families in need. "If there's an increase in need, we're working together to find out how we can (meet that need) in our district and in our community," said Koenig. "We are in communication a couple times of week to talk about what is and isn't working and what we need to change." Koenig stressed that communication with families is especially important during this time. "We use email or an electronic backpack, and we drop mailings in for families," said Koenig, who added that the PVSD website - http://www.pequeavalley.org - has a COVID-19 link to help families receive information.
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