This past Tuesday, in the second to last food distribution event at our McDonough and Battle Creek centers, Community Action Head Start / Early Head Start provided 1,572 meals to 131 children. Tomorrow, June 30, will mark the final summer food distribution event at these locations and Wednesday, July, 1, will be the last day that we are handing out education kits at our Midway Head Start location. Families that have been utilizing the McDonough Battle Creek Head Start centers for food distribution will receive detailed information on where to access free meals for their children through the remainder of the summer as well as where to locate other household resources to support the needs of the entire family.
Last Wednesday, June 24, marked the first of ten consecutive Wednesdays (from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm, through August 26, 2020) that we are partnering with the Journey School’s USDA approved Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) at 775 Lexington Parkway North (also the location of our Midway Head Start Center). This past week the Journey School SFSP served a total of 93 households, including approximately 40 families representing Community Action’s University, Skyline, Ruth Benner, Midway, and West Side Head Start centers.
As this particular distribution event falls under a different federal reimbursement program, the Journey School’s SFSP is able to provide free meals (5 breakfasts and 5 lunches per child) to every child in a participating household, regardless of whether or not they are enrolled in a Head Start / Early Head Start program. Moreover, the Journey School has been partnering with a number of other local food programs and were able to provide each family with a dozen eggs, a whole chicken, ground beef, pork chops, and several shelf-stable food items as well.
On a final note, we would like to share a story about Community Action Head Start / Early Head Start’s Food Distribution that was recently featured in the newsletter of the National Child and Adult Food Care Program (CAFCP) Association. Here is text of the story, written by Nutrition Coordinator (and featuring a photo Education Quality Support Manager, Lisa Ostrom preparing meal bags):
Pandemic Response:
Head Start in St. Paul, MN
At the Community Action Partnership of Ramsey and Washington Counties Head Start, we are dedicated to maintaining healthy, nutritious, balanced meals for our children. We work closely with our caterer to provide meal bags for 4 days of each week and we have up three distribution sites. Each week we connect with families to continue engaging the children and families and remind them of weekly distribution of meals as well as educational materials, diapers, wipes, and personal hygiene items that we are able to give to families. Over the last 3 months, we have reacted and adapted to the ever-evolving needs of the community we serve by maintaining social distancing, wearing masks, using coolers and adjusting routines to ensure safety.
Community Action Partnership of Ramsey & Washington Counties is an equal opportunity employer and provider.
