School systems, nonprofits work to keep providing food to students during spring break

ATLANTA — Atlanta Public Schools has announced that they will continue to provide food to families during break.

APS is closed April 6 - 10, so there will be no food distribution, but families were able to pick up a supply of groceries on April 4.

[RELATED: Food bank partnering with school districts to feed families in need during coronavirus crisis]

Superintendent Dr. Meria Carstarphen told Channel 2 Action News each family will get four bags of food that includes produce when available. She says it will feed a family of four for the week.

“We are teaming up with the Atlanta Metro Area food bank and they are our partner in this. You don’t have to be an APS student but we do encourage our families to come."

The school quickly ran out of groceries during Saturday’s event but encourages families to visit local food banks.

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After spring break, starting Monday, April 13, weekly food distribution for APS students will take place Mondays from 10 a.m. to noon at the schools below. Bus delivery will still occur from 10 a.m. to noon.

Bunche Middle School, Cleveland Avenue Elementary School, Douglass High School, Phoenix Academy, Sylvan Hills Middle School, Booker T. Washington High School, Hope-Hill Elementary School, King Middle School, Thomasville Heights Elementary School and Young Middle School.

Fulton County Schools will hand out food to families for spring break on Thursday, April 9 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.. The district’s food distribution program will pick back up at 21 sites after spring break.

These are the locations for spring break pick up:

• Alpharetta First Baptist Church 44 Academy Street Alpharetta, GA 30009
• North Point Community Church 4350 North Point Parkway Alpharetta, GA 30022
• Chapel Hill Church Atlanta 4330 Washington Road Atlanta, GA 30344
• Peachtree Presbyterian Church 3434 Roswell Rd NW Atlanta, GA 30305
• East Point First Mallalieu UMC 2651 N. Church Street East Point, GA 30344
• Prince Hall Grand Lodge 7340 Old National Hwy South Fulton, GA 30296
• Elizabeth Baptist Church 4245 Cascade Road, SW Atlanta, GA 30331
• Roswell Presbyterian Church 755 Mimosa Blvd Roswell, GA 30075
• Impact Ministries, New City Church 3355 Old Jonesboro Road Fairburn, GA 30213
• World Harvest Church 320 Hardscrabble Road Roswell, GA 30075

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Channel 2′s Gwinnett County Bureau Chief Tony Thomas was in Gwinnett County, where nonprofits are working to fill the gaps during spring break. The school system has been serving lunches from its buses during the shutdown but aren’t this week.

Amanda Lane is one of hundreds of Gwinnett residents pouring through seven food handout points across the county, where volunteers are handing out bags with a week’s worth of groceries.

“I have three kids,” Lane said. “I’m still working right now, but any little bit helps.”

Scott Mawdesley is on staff at 12Stone church and an organizer of the effort between Gwinnett Cooperative Ministries and the Community Foundation of North Georgia.

“We had coops that typically serve 24 families on Mondays, they served 250,” Mawdesley said. “Most had record days.”

Organizers expect this need to only grow as the shutdown continues, leaving kids at home and some parents out of work.

“I’m pretty worried,” Lane said. “It’s getting scary. if everything shuts down, I’m worried about feeding the kids.”

Gwinnett County Schools, GwinnettCares.org and Gwinnett’s Cooperative Food Ministries have put together a full list of places families can pick up food.

School districts provide free lunches for students Some counties have set up feeding sites so their students will get meals.

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