Blaine school district begins meal service for all 18 and under

By Oliver Lazenby

When the new coronavirus outbreak in Washington state began, health officials cautioned that the decision to close schools, then a distant and unlikely possibility, required weighing many pros and cons. It might be effective in slowing the spread of the virus, but for the large percentage of kids from families that qualify for free and reduced lunch it could have been devastating without arrangements be made for delivering meals.

When the unthinkable became reality on March 13, the day Washington governor Jay Inslee ordered all K-12 schools statewide to close from March 17 to at least April 24, school districts scrambled to make plans to continue taking care of their communities.

Starting March 18, the Blaine school district has been providing breakfast and lunch to all kids 18 and under in its district. Children do not have be students in the Blaine school district to receive meals. School bus drivers and food service staff are delivering food to every single normal bus stop in the district, including Point Roberts. Check the district's website for the route maps and estimated delivery drop-off times. The first dropoff will take place at 11 a.m.; the last at noon. Go to go.aws/3bmknRh.

Drivers and walkers are welcome at all drop-off locations. Walkers are encouraged to bring a backpack to carry meals home. Per legal requirements, the child must be present for a meal to be distributed for them, according to the district's website.

In addition to food, Inslee also ordered school districts to provide childcare for health care workers, emergency personnel and low-income families. “We simple cannot have nurses leaving hospitals when they become deluged with patients, to do childcare, and same with first responders,” he said at a March 13 press conference.

The Blaine school district released a survey last week to get an idea of how many people in the district with critical jobs would need childcare. Currently, the district is waiting for more instructions from the state regarding who to provide childcare for and other details, said district public relations specialist Lisa Moeller.

District officials are also working to offer some non-required online educational “enrichment” resources.

Learn more about the Blaine school district's food program and its response to the new coronavirus at blainesd.org.