Free grab-and-go meals are available in many Franklin County locations Monday-Friday, thanks to the hard work of local public school districts in collaboration with Kuzmeskus Bus Company.
We will update this post regularly, but please check here: http://bit.ly/FCFoodResourcesList for more comprehensive, current information about Food Access Resources in Franklin County during the COVID-19 public health crisis.
Also check here: https://meals4kids.org/summer for info about meals provided for children by public schools across Massachusetts during school closures. (The second paragraph on this website has a link to a continuously updated list and there is also a link to a map showing the locations of those programs. )
Scroll down for details (as of April 19, 10:30 p.m.) on what Greenfield Public Schools, Gill-Montague Regional School District, and the Franklin County Technical School are offering. Here are answers to some questions we thought you might have:
Will the schedule change as a result of the Memorial Day holiday on Monday, May 25th?
There will be no meal service on Monday from Greenfield, FCTS, and GMRSD. (Extra meals will be provided on Friday, 5/22 to carry families through the long weekend.) Gill-Montague will distribute meals on Tuesday and Friday the week of May 25-29.
Who can participate?
Any person 18 and under can receive free bagged meals, while supplies last. FCTS has attained funding to expand its service to people 21 years of age and under. There are no residency or income requirements, and participants do not have to be enrolled in the district sponsoring the meals.
The MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has made a provision allowing caretakers to pick up meals for children. Adults who pick up meals for children will be asked where the children go to school. (If the children don’t attend school, just say so.)
Is it safe?
The food is being prepared in sanitary conditions and the bagged meals are being distributed in ways that limit contact. You can help make it safer by doing these things:
- Wash or sanitize your hands before you get your meal
- Try not to touch your face or other people
- Practice social distancing, such as covering your face and standing at least 6 feet away from people who aren’t in your household
- Leave the distribution site once you have your meal.
- Do not come if you have a fever, a cough, a sore throat, or if your chest feels congested.
Is it safe for people who have food allergies?
Look for an allergy statement from the district on the menu for these meals, and when you come to pick up meals, be sure to inform staff of food allergies. You can contact the Food Services director for the district that is sponsoring the meals with specific concerns and questions.
How are districts able to do this? Greenfield Public Schools, Gill-Montague Regional School District, and the Franklin County Technical School all qualify for and participate in the USDA Summer Eats Program, which gave them a model they could use to address the problem of feeding kids who might go hungry during COVID-19 school closures. The MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education provided a waiver.
How can I help?
If you are 18 or under, or you have kids who are, and everyone in your household is symptom-free, participating is helpful. The program these plans are modeled on typically reimburses districts based on the number of meals served. Participating also helps them figure out how to improve their systems and plans.
You can also help by sharing accurate information about where kids in our area can get free meals and other resources, and about things people can do to help slow the spread of COVID-19 in our community. The Look4Help online directory is a place where you can find information about food access programs, unemployment, homeless services/housing programs, addiction/recovery resources, public transportation, and lots more. Start here: https://www.look4help.org/guided-search/covid-19-updates-to-resources/
We will add more ideas about ways to help to this post. In the meantime, if you have thoughts or questions, please email gmcspnetwork@gmail.com or find the GMCSP group on Facebook and join the conversation there. (If you have questions about a specific district’s COVID-19 school closures meal program, you should contact the person they have identified.)
School Closure Meal Sites & Schedules
Greenfield Public Schools distributes meals in Greenfield from 11am-12:30pm, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, at Newton Elementary School, Greenfield Middle School, Greenfield High School, Oak Courts, Leyden Woods, Greenfield Gardens, Fosters’ Supermarket parking lot, and the Franklin County Fairgrounds.
Bagged lunches and bagged breakfasts will be provided according to the following schedule:
Monday: Monday & Tuesday’s lunch, Tuesday & Wednesday’s breakfast
Wednesday: Wednesday & Thursday’s lunch, Thursday & Friday’s breakfast
Friday: Friday, Saturday & Sunday’s lunch, Saturday, Sunday & Monday breakfast
More info: https://www.gpsk12.org/gps-district-wide/food-services/food-menus and https://www.facebook.com/GreenfieldSchoolLunch/
Gill-Montague Regional School District is distributing meals at locations in Montague, Turners Falls, and Gill.
CHANGES starting May 4th:
1. Erving is covering the sites in Erving (Erving Center and Vets’ Field) that were previously served by GMRSD – on the same schedule.
2. Service time for Gill (Four Rivers School, Riverside) has changed to 1:10-1:30pm
Bagged lunches and bagged breakfasts are provided according to the following schedule:
Monday: Monday & Tuesday’s lunch, Tuesday & Wednesday’s breakfast
Wednesday: Wednesday & Thursday’s lunch, Thursday & Friday’s breakfast
Friday: Friday, Saturday & Sunday’s lunch, Saturday, Sunday & Monday
Schedule change for the week of May 25-29: Gill-Montague will distribute meals on Tuesday and Friday this week.
View or download a PDF with all the details.
Here is the schedule:
Turners Falls High/Great Falls Middle School– Front entrance between 11:20-11:50 am
Montague Catholic Social Ministries, Turners Falls between 11:20-11:45 am
Yellow Kuzmeskus school buses will be distributing along these routes:
Route 1
Hillcrest Elementary (student drop off parking lot) 11:20 – 11:50 am
Unity Park parking lot 11:55 am – 12:30 pm
Lake Pleasant Rutter’s Park 12:45 – 1 pm
The Brick House, Turners Falls 1:10-1:30 pm
Route 2
Montague Center Town Common 11:30 – 11:45 am
Millers Falls (Franklin Street – near Carroll) 12 – 12:20 pm
Sheffield Elementary (main parking lot) 12:30 – 1 pm
Four Winds School, Riverside, Gill 1:10 -1:30 pm
Franklin County Technical School, which serves 19 towns, is delivering meals Monday-Friday by bus to designated stops along routes throughout Franklin County. They note that “all scheduled times are approximate, so please plan to be there 15 minutes early and/or stay 15 minutes later in the event the bus is running late.”
Go here for the current menu and schedule: https://fcts.us/p/261/Meal-Service-Closure-Updates and follow https://www.facebook.com/fctscaf for updates.