Even in the best of times, more than 80% of the students in West County are on the Free and Reduced Lunch Program.  They rely on the breakfasts and lunch they receive from the school district—often with those meals being the only meals they eat each day.

Since COVID-19 has come to rule our lives, ‘the best of times’ are but a memory of the past and a hope for the future.  People aren’t working and paychecks are a thing of the past.  How are parents supposed to feed their children when they have no money?

At 17 sites across West County, Monday through Friday the WCCUSD hands out more than 34,000 meals each day.  On Fridays, they even hand out meals for Saturday.

The District recently passed the million meal mark.

What the District does is heroic but giving the order from the District offices is one thing but the true heroic efforts come from the people packing the bags and working these sites to distribute the meals that provide the sustenance needed to continue with their virtual schooling.

This is a monumental task that requires a lot of volunteers.

Some of the obvious volunteers at Kennedy High on Thursday May 14^th were members of the Richmond Fire Department.  It was impressive to witness the efficiency and dedication to the community that these frontline heroes showed.