Dearborn Public Schools Alters Free Meal Distribution Program

DEARBORN, MI — As Dearborn Public Schools prepare to shift to a blended learning model on March 1, the district announced plans on Thursday to alter how it distributes free student meals.

District officials announced that weekly meal pickup will move to Wednesdays beginning March 3. Meals will be provided at all of the district’s middle and high school location. As in the past, meals will be distributed between 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.

The district has continued to provide free student meals since schools were forced to close due to the coronavirus pandemic last March. The district, which has about 20,700 students, is currently providing more than 100,000 free meals per weeks, officials said in a news release announcing the changes to the meal distribution plan.

Students at all levels will also have the option to receive meals on the days they attend school in person. Meal pick-up will be available at Bryant Middle School, Dearborn High School, Edsel Ford High School, Fordson High School, Lowrey Middle School, McCollough-Unis, Salina Intermediate, Smith Middle School, Stout Middle School and Woodworth Middle School, the district said.

Meal distribution will no longer take place at Henry Ford High School, Maples Elementary, McDonald Elementary and the Dearborn Heights campus.

The district will continue to provide a week’s worth of free meals to any student in the district or any of their siblings who are under 18 years of age. No school identification is required to receive the meals and the student does not need to attend school at the building where they are picking food up, district officials said.

Students attending in person will also have the option to get a meal at school that day, the district said.The district will continue to work to provide high quality food in the safest way possible.

Elementary students attending face to face will be able to pick from one of two hot lunch options or pack their own food. Most buildings will have students eating in the cafeteria with social-distancing, but the specifics of how children will eat will vary by building.

Middle and high school students attending face-to-face instruction will be able to get a grab-and-go breakfast. More details of how breakfast will work at each building will be provided directly from that school, the district announced.