Beginning in March, Tennessee schools closed to stem the spread of COVID-19. For some, meals provided at school are imperative. With schools closed, access to meals became a great concern. Coffee County schools took this opportunity to create the Emergency Feeding Program, where any child under 18, no matter their respective school system, town, or even state, was able to receive a free breakfast and lunch.
Director of Student Support Services Carlan Cotten spoke with Coffee County News to tell us all about the program, and the incredible people that make it possible. Coffee County News had the amazing opportunity to work remotely with Carlan to tell the story of this incredible program while maintaining social distancing. Read our interview with Carlan below.
This was a shock to us all, so this must have been put together
quickly. What did it take to pull this off in the beginning to ensure
all children in need were getting fed?
Carlan: Initially we started serving meals from every school but as the state issued waivers to allow us to send home food bags with several days worth of meals we eventually condensed our locations to one. We now just operate from Raider Academy on Monday mornings from 9:30 to 11:30. Families only have to come out once a week to get the food packages therefore limiting their exposure to others. We can operate with less staff exposed by having it one location.
Who is eligible for free meals? How often, when, and where are meals
distributed?
Carlan: Everyone 18 years of age and under can get a free breakfast and lunch. They do not have to be from our school system or even our county or state. Everyone is welcome. We offer these meals from 9:30 to 11:30 every Monday for the rest of May except for Memorial Day. We will not serve on Memorial Day. Instead food packages will be distributed on Tuesday, May 26 that week. Starting at the end of May, we will transition to our Summer Feeding Program. At this time, we plan on operating on the same Monday schedule through June.
Who made this program possible?
Carlan: All our Schools’ Cafeteria Managers have rotated their staff in to work at least one week. Coffee County Raider Academy’s Cafeteria Manager, Michelle Green, provided a great foundation when we consolidated the feeding to one location. She put in many hours ordering and preparing food for our growing numbers. Now each week different managers work together to provide 7,000 plus meals each Monday. Brenda Sissom, Coffee County Central High School’s Cafeteria Manager, and her staff have worked a couple weeks. She is accustomed to ordering and preparing in bulk due to the student size at the High School. Teresa Rigsby(Hickerson Elementary), Josie Reed(East Coffee Elementary),Kelly Arnold(Hickerson Elementary) and all their staff served for 3 weeks from their respective Elementary schools before we consolidated to one location. Vicky Green(Coffee County Middle School), Dewana Smith(North Coffee Elementary), Janice Keasling(Hillsboro Elementary), and Arlene Jones(New Union Elementary) along with some of their staff have served from their school for a limited amount of time and then managed at least one week of feeding from Raider Academy.
What do you feel you have learned about yourself, your team, and your community during this time?
Carlan: I have always known that our Coffee County School Nutrition staff cares about their students and community. But they have joined together during this trying time to make sure that all our children are allowed access to healthy meals while school is not in session. They have gone above and beyond to serve our community. I am both blessed and proud to have them in our school system.
You must have distributed so many meals! How many meals do you
estimate your team put together and distributed over the course of time?
Carlan: For the months of March and April, we have distributed about 21,500 meals. We distributed 7000 meals for the first week of May. Our program continues to grow weekly.
When is the last day you will be distributing meals? What programs
might be available to families when the Emergency Feeding Program ends?
Carlan: We will be transitioning to our Summer Feeding Program after the Emergency Feeding Program ends. This will start the Tuesday after Memorial Day(May 26th). At this time, the waivers allowing us to distribute several days of food once a week has been extended until June 30. We plan on continuing our current Monday feeding time until the end of June. We will evaluate our program weekly as to its effectiveness and make changes as needed.
A referral form is available on the Coffee County School website for those families that need assistance. A member of the Student Support Services will receive the referral and reach out to those that need additional help.