Free grab-and-go meals will be available for kids ages 0-18 in many Franklin County locations this summer.
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/find-summer-meal-site or text “FOOD” or “COMIDA” to 877-877 for info about Summer Eats meal sites across Massachusetts.
Scroll down for details (as of July 6, 2020) on what Greenfield Public Schools, Gill-Montague Regional School District, RC Mahar and the Orange Elementary District are offering.
Here are answers to some questions we thought you might have:
Who can participate?
Any person 18 and under can receive free bagged meals, while supplies last. 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 meals
- 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 meals.
- 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 RC Mahar/Orange Elementary qualify for and participate in the USDA Summer Food Service Program. The USDA and the MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education provided waivers that expanded the program during the pandemic.
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. School districts are typically reimbursed based on the number of meals served.
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/
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 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 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 distributes meals at locations in Montague, Turners Falls, Erving, and Gill.
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
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 11:45am-12:30pm
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
Route 3 (New!)
Veteran’s Field Park, Ervingside 11:45 am – 12:00 pm
Erving Center Church St. Park 12:15 pm – 12:30 pm
Peskeomskut Park, Avenue A (added) 12:50 pm – 1:05 pm
Hillcrest Homes (Griswold & Ave C) 1:10 pm – 1:30 pm
If you have any questions about this program please contact MaryLynne Brown, Program Director, at 413-863-7315 or Heather Holmes, Food Service Director at heather.holmes@gmrsd.org or 413-863-7506.
Ralph C. Mahar & Orange Elementary Schools will continue to be a hub for Orange/Petersham/Wendell/New Salem during summer months with a few changes:
- Beginning June 22, 2020 (pending DESE approval) we will offer one day per week service of meals at one service site: the Ralph C. Mahar Regional School.
- Pick up location will be at the side door of the cafeteria which is easily accessible if you enter via South Main Street.
- Pick up hours will be from 11:00 – 12:30 on Mondays. Each child will receive 5 breakfast meals and 5 lunch meals at that time for that week’s meals.
- Please consider having a cooler in your vehicle for us to place milk in for you as the summer months heat up.
Contact: Jacki S. Dillenback, Director of Food and Nutrition Services, 978-544-2542 x8