Providing Meals to Kids during a Pandemic

Rafael Reyes ensures the food is not only nutritious, but delicious too! The meals are not just basic sandwiches but greek pitas, taco salads, pizza pasta and more.

By Breann Chigumira Over the past 5 years at the Academy for G.O.D, I thought I had "seen it all" in terms of hurdles to us serving nutritional lunches to students. Tornados, severe weather, flooding, school cancellations because of sickness, construction of new school buildings on campus, and the list could continue. However, what none of us were prepared for was a pandemic that would begin to change what our 'new normal' would look like. We were looking at a total shutdown of 'in-person' classes, and our school made a choice to move to an online format for the rest of the semester.

However, Gregg Garner, Headmaster of the Academy for G.O.D., knew that we could not just stop our school's nutrition program altogether. Feeding

children in need is something our

organization does both here and abroad.

As often as possible, food is sourced locally. When we say “local” we mean down the hill at our on campus farm, Hopewell Farms.

During the school year we serve breakfast and lunch daily to students, and now more than ever students and their parents need this support. With unemployment in Tennessee predicted to rise above 'great depression' levels, I knew that parents would be even more hard-pressed to feed their children.

During a health crisis we also have to acknowledge that ensuring children have proper nutrition will help boost their immunity toward this ever circulating virus. As I shopped at local stores looking for food for my family, I was challenged to find certain fresh fruits or vegetables and other nutritious items. If families are quarantined at home, how will they go to the store, if stores are out of food, how will families eat? These were all questions I knew our program could provide some solution to. Our school nutrition program has always emphasized fresh fruits and vegetables, and I knew that this was no time to reduce that intake for children.

For the everyday heroes who are part of school nutrition programs across the country, this was a time for us to step up and feed a vulnerable population. This was not the time to take a break or step back in fear. It was time to decide how to overcome obstacles, problem-solve, and ensure children have the best opportunity to thrive amidst a world in chaos. 1 John 4:18 was a motivating refrain behind these decisions: 'There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear...whoever fears has not been perfected in love.' Instead of being anxious or acting out of fear, love drives me to do God's will to help kids in my neighborhood (while at the same time practicing the wisdom this pandemic necessitates).

Every day what would normally be used for lunch tables are still used for lunch tables, just all packed to go. This team goes above and beyond with home delivery for those in the neighborhood, and a streamlined drive through service for those who are not.

As I realized the ongoing effects of COVID-19, I searched out grants and programs that would help our school to operate as a free meal site for any child under 18. I immediately got our application in to be part of the USDA’s ‘seamless summer option,’ this would allow our school to operate as a free meal site for any child under 18, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Broadening our focus beyond the Academy made it so that we could offer assistance to anyone in need in our proximity.

Comparatively, our school nutrition program is not generally a huge operation. We are among a handful of private schools in all of Tennessee that operate under the USDA's National School Nutrition Program, with the rest being large school districts with 1,000s of students. Despite being a small site, I knew with some hard work we could serve our neighbors and those in need. Our first week, we served almost 2,000 meals (breakfast and lunch). Going into our second week, we are set to serve over 2,000! We are delivering meals in the Hopewell neighborhood. We also have a drive-through system for pick up Monday-Friday until the end of the semester. We completely revamped all of our operations to fit this new need, which was no small undertaking! Despite substantial food shortages, we have still been able to provide a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables along with fresh organic produce from our on-campus garden. We are also supporting several employees who now do not have to file for unemployment and still supporting local food businesses who need our patronage.

This has been an important time for us to step up to the challenge. I'm so happy with my team and our readiness to meet COVID-19 with faith that we can do our part. School nutrition may not always get to the forefront of daily news. But it's making a splash in this part of Nashville. It's nice to be reminded of this essential work, which contributes to the health of our communities -- our kids! I work with a team of everyday heroes who deserve applause! Groups like mine, all over the country, are stepping out and ensuring children are still taken care of, despite incredible challenges. That is a reason to keep hoping.