Sodexo, Liberty team to provide meals to students in quarantine

Sodexo and several other Liberty University departments are working together to provide meals for students in quarantine.

Before the semester began, the Office of Residence Life secured off-campus quarantine facilities to lower the chance of community spread. Students who may have been exposed or tested positive were sent to one of two off-campus housing locations.

However, these locations were not equipped with kitchens or resources to feed students while isolated from dining locations for the 14-day quarantine period.

Sodexo and Liberty University created a streamlined plan to ensure students were getting the proper nourishment.

“This is a team effort by us and the university,” said District Manager Duke Davis. “By sharing resources, we are able to provide excellent service to our students who are focused on recovering.”

Liberty’s IT department created a form which is automatically emailed to quarantined students each day. The email provides detailed information on meal options, delivery times, and allows students to indicate any dietary restrictions.

Each morning, student responses are sent to the food operations team at the dining hall. Extra meals are also sent to locations in case students forget to fill out the form or unable due to sickness.

As of now, students can order meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The boxed meals include fresh, healthy food options from several dining hall stations.

An online menu enables students to see ahead of time what they might be receiving in their boxed meals. Students may receive multiple boxes for lunch or dinner, for example, two hot boxes and a cold box with a salad.

All meals are made fresh in the dining hall then loaded onto a truck and delivered on a timely basis to the lobbies of each quarantine facility. The meals are distributed by the University’s housing team, who request extra meals as needed.

Davis said Sodexo introduced other measures this semester to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and create a safe work environment for employees.

“Our employees are required to have their temperature taken before they start their shifts,” Davis said. “Students, as well as employees, are required to wear face coverings at all times unless they are eating or drinking.”

Sodexo’s policies also include increased cleaning procedures, plexi-glass shields installed at cashier stations, mobile ordering through Grubhub, and contactless payment options.

“We credit these procedures, along with the dedicated work of the University and its COVID policies, for the low case numbers we’ve seen on campus,” Davis said.

According to the University’s data found on their website, positive cases have been steadily dropping.

Liberty’s residential population is more than 15,000 students, which includes commuter students.