McAlester school food services gets creative with van
Jul. 29—A new van will greet McAlester students with free food this year — and with a distinctly fun design.
Donna Green, child nutrition services director at McAlester Public Schools, said she hopes the smiling faces on the van's design will be a welcome sign for any students getting food delivered in the coming years.
"We want students to have fun and get excited to see us with the something easily identifiable and fun," Green said of the van's creative wrap done by Weddle Signs.
MPS will offer free meals again this year to students in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade eligible to receive a free breakfast, lunch, and snack.
The district previously offered free meals through the United States Department of Agriculture. MPS also provides an annual summer feeding program with funds from the USDA Summer Food Service Program and through donations from outside entities.
MPS Child Nutrition Department gets most of its funds through federal grants. The district is eligible for the Community Eligibility Provision — a non-pricing meal service option that allows school districts in high poverty areas to serve free breakfast and lunch to enrolled students without household applications. Schools under the CEP receive reimbursement based on the percentage of eligible students and participation in other programs.
School administrators and staff faced challenges in getting the food to students after the state board of education shuttered all school buildings in spring 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
MPS delivered meals to students with buses on regular bus route to help ensure those students still got lunches and other food.
"The staff ended up having a good time doing it," Green said. "The bus drivers and all of us felt like we were accomplishing something together."
Green said the new van will also help the district deliver food if schools are forced to shutter their doors again like at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
She hopes to continue expanding the mobile meal program with a bus and more.
Green said she hopes the COVID-19 pandemic recesses by summer 2022 so the district will be more free to use the van for a mobile picnic supplier throughout the city.
She said the idea is to take food to areas with students in need — and just for some fun meals.
"I'd love to be able to pull up to a school and, say a whole class won something or they've done something great, and we can provide them a nutritious meal where they get to come outside and we do something like a picnic," Green said.
Anyone seeking more information can call Central Office or 918-423-7816.
Contact Adrian O'Hanlon III at aohanlon@mcalesternews.com
