NV Schools expanding meal pick up hours

As the meal pick up process smooths out at NV Schools during the school closure, not only are the number of families using the opportunity growing, but the district is also expanding the hours available for meal pick up.

With school buildings closed to students, NV Schools launched food service on Thursday, March 19. Just one week later, the timing for the free drive-through grab-and-go style meal offering weekdays at four school buildings will expand, beginning Thursday, March 26.

Meals will now be available from 8 to 9 a.m. and from 11 a.m. to noon at the four sites of Sumas, Nooksack and Everson elementary schools and also Nooksack Valley Middle School. The free service is open to any student within the district and families can simply come to the outside stations to request a meal. 

One week in, NV Schools is now regularly serving over 700 students on a daily basis. 

NV Schools is making the lunches out of its kitchens with food service staff, using extra precautions every step of the way. In fact, only two or three cooks are in each kitchen at any time. 

Principals, teachers, coaches and paraeducators are all on hand to help pass out and deliver the sack meals via the drive-through sites clearly marked at the schools. Once a community customer arrives at the front of the line, bags are placed on a sanitized table and then the worker steps back to allow for pickup. 

"Student faces are lighting up with excitement to see the familiar friendly faces of the workers," says Melissa Paulus, food services director for NV Schools.