By
Elizabeth Richards
Since
school closed on March 16, the RSU14 backpack program has been very busy. As
the school closure continues, other programs are piggybacking on the
distribution times to offer other resources as well.
Director
of School Nutrition Jeanne Reilly says the backpack program is distributing
food on Tuesdays and Fridays in both Windham and Raymond. The program offers
three bags of food: one with fruits and vegetables, another with milk and
possibly other dairy items like yogurt and cheese, and a third with shelf
stable items such as peanut butter, cereal, soup, tuna and pasta.
“Any
family with children is welcome to come. They do not have to be a previous
recipient of the backpack program,” Reilly said. “We do ask that it be families
with children in the home, since we are operating with funds that were donated
for the express purpose of feeding children. Families do not need to sign up, they can just
come to one of our sites during the hours that we are open.”
On
Tuesday, March 31st, a “Book Bus” began distributing grade level
books for K-3 students in conjunction with the backpack program.
Julie
Young, instructional leader for Windham Primary School, coordinates the book
bus. She said 100 bags of books were packed the first week and 80-100 more,
which also included some basic school supplies such as paper, pencils, glue
sticks and construction paper, had already been packed for the second week.
Families
can pick up a new set of books each week, Young said, and books should not be
returned. The books being distributed are from a large supply of retired
curriculum materials, she said, and include individual paperbacks as well as
anthologies.
On the first week of
distribution, there were enough bags assembled for every family who asked for
one, Young said. Bags were also sent to Raymond Elementary School for
distribution. Young said that they have enough materials for every child,
though they haven’t been packing that many since they didn’t know how many
would come. “We’d love for every child to come and get a bag,” she said, adding
that delivery is also possible.
Distributing reading
material is important, Young said, because it’s difficult for parents to have
leveled materials, especially for younger children who go through their
material quickly. Although digital libraries are available, not all children
have access to those, she said. “We wanted to make sure that we have some non-digital
opportunities for our kids to continue to learn,” she said.
Reilly added that though
the official book bus is on Tuesdays, there have also been some boxes of books
and other reading materials that families can take available on Fridays.
Windham Parks and
Recreation is also offering resources to families during this difficult time. This
week, they began to add their weekly edition of “Useful News” to the lunches
being sent home, so that families who may not receive it through email have
access, said director Linda Brooks. This newsletter offers tips on enjoying the
outdoors safely, as well as information on events and available resources.
“We continue to offer programming opportunities
to our residents, but in many new ways, since people suddenly
have much more leisure time in their lives,” Brooks said. “Parks and Recreation
is all about helping people develop healthy leisure lifestyles, and outdoor
activities are still being encouraged as an effective manner to manage this
crisis. Moving forward, we are working on other activities that we can make
available for children to do at home.”
Reilly said they are working to provide
recipes, nutrition information, and culinary videos on social media channels
and their website. “These will be ideas and tips for families to come
together and experience some of the food we are sending home in our bags. We
hope families will do some cooking together and some nutrition education, and
even incorporate some science and math lessons with the food and recipes,” she
said.
The
backpack program is not accepting food donations at this time but welcomes financial
support for the project. The bags provide each family with about $20 worth of
food, and participation in the program is growing, she said. On Friday, April
3, they served 122 families, which is an estimated 300-400 students served.
Food
can be picked up at Windham Middle School on Tuesdays and Fridays from 2 p.m.
to 4:30 p.m. and at Raymond Elementary School on Tuesdays and Fridays from 1:30
to 3 pm. They are delivering to families in quarantine or who do not have
transportation, Reilly said. If transportation is an issue, families can reach
out to Reilly at jreilly@rsu14.org or district
chef, Ryan Roderick at rroderick@rsu14.org.
