“Meals-on-School-Bus-Wheels” to Feed Students During Shutdown

(Calumet City, IL) – Rather than have parents and children descend on empty schools and manufacture unnecessary crowds, a south suburban elementary school district has pioneered a “Meals-on-School-Bus-Wheels” initiative to keep more than 3,000 low-income students safely fed.

In a likely first-of-its-kind program in the Chicago-area, Calumet City-based Dolton School District 149 is delivering both a brown bag breakfast and lunch to all its students along its normal bus route.

In partnership with its food service provider, Organic Life, and its bus company, First Student, the district’s more than 3,000 students are able to pick up daily their meals at a scheduled time on each school’s regular daily bus route.

“Because reliable transportation is a challenge for many of our families, the school district knew that we had to innovate if we were going to ensure that our students would have breakfast and lunch each day,” said Superintendent Dr. Shelly Davis-Jones. “Our ‘Meals-on-School-Bus-Wheels’ program is keeping more than 3,000 students fed every day while protecting their health and their families’ health.”

The district’s “Meals-on-School-Bus-Wheels” program is a “model” for the state, says the district’s top elected official.

“Dolton School District 149’s ‘Meals-on-School-Bus-Wheels’ program stands as a model for other Illinois school districts, including the Chicago Public Schools,” said long-time board president Darlene Gray Everett. “We thought of a plan that made most practical sense for families who may lack transportation and the best health sense to avoid crowds. And we keep our kids fed.”

For students who walk to school, Organic Life will distribute “Grab and Go” breakfast and lunch bags from the district’s middle school at 1650 Pulaski Road in Calumet City from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.

davidormsby@davidormsby.com