SPS Providing Free, 'Grab And Go' Meals At All Public Schools

KSMU | By Jennifer Moore

Published March 23, 2020 at 5:54 AM CDT

Staff from Springfield Public Schools Nutrition Services prepare pick-up meals for kids who are on extended Spring Break due to COVID-19 outbreak.

Kids across the Springfield Public Schools district can pick up free meals from local schools Monday to Friday, starting Monday, March 23. Those free, "grab-and-go" meals are for SPS kids ages 18 and younger, and they're available for curbside pickup at every school in the district between 9:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.

Click here for a list of SPS schools and their addresses.

Springfield Public Schools is the state's largest public school district, with an estimated 25,000 students. A substantial percentage of them qualify for free or reduced lunches, which are based on federal poverty guidelines. That means many of those children rely on food, health and hygiene items provided through the schools and by Care to Learn, a Springfield-based nonprofit organization.

Also beginning Monday, teachers across the Springfield Public Schools are placing phone calls to all families as a "wellness check," to see if there are any unmet needs, according to SPS. The district said that will be followed by instructions on distance learning over the coming days.