The feeding program offered by Lee County schools is gearing up for an expansion.
Starting Monday, six school buses will be driving routes to “areas of high population” to deliver "Grab & Go" meals at some established bus stops. Longer hours and more pickup sites have been added to the lineup for the free meal distribution, too.
Ricardo Rolon/The News-Press/USA Today Network
Staff members of the Food and Nutrition Services department for the School District of Lee County distribute Grab & Go meals March 23 at Tropic Isles Elementary in North Fort Myers.
This week, the district has served more than 50,000 meals, reported Food and Nutrition Services Director Lauren Couchois.
“In an effort to reach as many children as possible, we wanted to expand our reach and get to communities that could not get to us," she said.
While arrival times can change based on when a bus leaves the last stop, here are the planned bus stops:
Route 1
- 9:45 a.m. arrival at corner of Lantana Street and Gardenia Avenue, Fort Myers
- 11 a.m. arrival at corner of Dupree Street and American Avenue, Fort Myers
- noon arrival at 3739 Metro Parkway, Fort Myers — by the playground at Westwood Apartments
Route 2
- 9:45 a.m. arrival at corner of South Tamiami Trail and Unique Circle, south Fort Myers
- 11 a.m. arrival at corner of Broadway West and Luettich Lane, Estero
- noon arrival at 21450 S. Tamiami Trail, Estero — inside Covered Wagon Trailer Park
Route 3
- 9:45 a.m. arrival at corner of Bonita Beach Road and Saldivar Camp, Bonita Springs
- 11:30 a.m. arrival at 11902 Bonita Beach Road SE, Bonita Springs — Flamingo Island Flea Market
Route 4
- 9:45 a.m. arrival at 3746 Metro Parkway, Fort Myers — Westchase Apartments
- 11 a.m. arrival at corner of Evans Avenue and Park Windsor Drive, Fort Myers — Carrell Corners
- noon arrival at corner of Red Cedar Drive and Hayley Lane, Fort Myers — Around the Clock Fitness
Route 5
- 9:45 a.m. arrival at corner of Corkscrew Road and Six Ls Farm Road, Estero
- noon arrival at 18412 Lee Road, San Carlos Park — Karl Drews Center
Route 6
- 9:45 a.m. arrival at 2325 S. Olga Drive — Olga Community Center
- 11 a.m. arrival at corner of First Street AL and Avenue B — Charleston Park Community Center
Any changes would be posted on the district's website, leeschools.net.
Those planning to pick up food at the distribution sites will now get an extra hour-and-a-half to get “Grab & Go” meals. The hours are 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
The six new sites include:
- Tice Elementary, 4524 Tice St., Fort Myers
- Franklin Park Elementary, 2323 Ford St., Fort Myers
- Edgewood Academy, 3464 Edgewood Ave., Fort Myers
- Pelican Elementary, 3525 SW 3rd Ave., Cape Coral
- Veteran’s Park Academy for the Arts, 49 Homestead Road S., Lehigh Acres
- Sunshine Elementary, 601 Sara Ave., Lehigh Acres
This is in addition to the 24 school sites and 14 community sites that have been serving food.
Those receiving the meals — anyone 18 or younger — must be present to receive the food, following the rules set by the USDA for running a child nutrition program. This includes the bus stops.
And in keeping with CDC’s directive, none of the food may be eaten on campus.
Each bag contains breakfast and lunch. This includes two milks, a variety of fruits and vegetables and two entrées.
When in normal operation, the district serves 77,000 meals a day.
Anthony Thomas, a community activist in Fort Myers, has been after the school system “since day one” to open up all the schools as distribution sites and to use the currently unused school buses to run meals into neighborhoods.
The reason, he said, is simple.
People living in poverty often “do not have a car… lots of people don’t have cars,” Thomas said.
The schools are operating as drive-throughs, where people pull a car through the bus loop and pick up meals through a window. Since all children and teens must be present to receive a meal, families with several children are having a difficult time taking advantage of the program, he said.
“It’s affecting my community,” Thomas said.
Gabriele Spuckes has also heard of families who are struggling to access the meals. She serves as the chair of the Democratic Party of Lee County.
“It’s extremely important for children not to have to worry about having to get there, especially if there’s only one car and one person is working, or they have no cars at all,” she said.
Plus, walking isn’t always feasible, Spuckes added. Lehigh Acres is an area that comes to mind for her because there are fewer sidewalks and more land to cover between pickup sites.
While she understands "the challenge" the district is up against planning these bus routes — especially considering the size of the county and the need to notify the public of when and where to go — she hopes it is a step in helping more families in need access to the food.
What nearby school systems are doing
- Collier County schools are distributing food through school and community sites, but some nutritional workers have used vans to deliver meals to students in remote locations, Superintendent Kamela Patton said in a video statement.
- Glades County schools have done a mix of bus stop deliveries and school pick-ups with a drive through, its Facebook page shows.
- During its scheduled spring break, Charlotte County offered mobile meals brought to three community locations. Now, its website says meals are being offered "curb-side" at 10 school sites.
- Hendry County schools is doing school and community sites for meal distributions, its Facebook page shows.
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