PACS Delivers Food To Students

by Contributor | April 2, 2020 12:49 pm

By: Michael Johnson

PULASKI – In these difficult times, a ray of hope can arrive in many forms. For a number of families in the Pulaski Central School District, hope arrives in the form of a box of food, delivered by a familiar vehicle on these rural roads – a yellow school bus.

Although schools have been closed for several weeks, the nutritional needs of students have not changed. Families that depend on the school district to provide assistance in making ends meet have found that they can still count on the bus making a stop at their home, although its role has been redefined.

The wheels on the bus still go “round and round,” but the cargo has changed.

As soon as it became evident that schools would be closed for an extended period of time due to the coronavirus pandemic, a decision was made by the Pulaski Academy School Board and the district’s administrators to ensure the continuation of nutritional assistance for students in need.

This meant creating a plan to deliver food to homes, as newly created state guidelines prohibit food distribution and large gatherings at school buildings.

The New York State Department of Education has directed school districts to continue to fulfill their Child Nutrition Plan obligations. Doing this is a challenge, to say the least, if social distancing suggestions are to be followed. In this extraordinary time, the Pulaski Academy School Board made the decision to extend the offer of food delivery to all students in the district under the age of eighteen.

According to Pulaski Academy and Central School Superintendent Thomas Jennings, food are delivered once a week, in an effort to reduce exposure to those providing this service. These deliveries help to provide food to each student for one week. The district is currently delivering boxes to 625 students weekly, providing approximately 6,250 meals per week.

This number is subject to change, as situations within families may change during this crisis. New York state is providing reimbursement to school districts, which allows for this aid to be offered to assist any child. Families residing within the Pulaski School District that wish to request food deliveries may call the District’s Food Service Office at 315-298-5103.

None of these efforts to satisfy the nutritional needs of Pulaski’s students would be possible without a group of dedicated staff members coming together and working toward a common goal. Food must be prepared, packaged, loaded onto busses and delivered.

Ordering the necessary items and menu planning is a complicated task in itself.

”The employee’s response to this need has been overwhelming,” Jennings said.

For those who choose to dedicate their lives to educating and helping children, this dedication can be demonstrated in a myriad of ways, not only in the traditional methods of classroom instruction and coaching.

When circumstances change, the adaptability of educators and school support staff becomes an asset to the community that they serve in a new way, helping children stay healthy and safe. To the staff members, it is just another day and another way to show that they care deeply for their students.

“I have been humbled by the commitment to kids shown by the staff of Pulaski Academy,” Jennings said.

 

   

   

 

Source URL: https://oswegocountytoday.com/news/pacs-delivers-food-to-students/

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