On Monday about 40 New Haven public schools reopened their doors amid the coronavirus crisis. They began handing out breakfast and lunches to-go for students who normally get discounted meals at the cafeteria.
More than half of students at Wilbur Cross High School are eligible for subsidized lunch. Still, staff say just about a dozen people came to pick up meals between 9 a.m. and noon.
One of them was a young man, who asked not to be named. He and his mother pulled into the parking lot in a minivan. He approached a food service worker standing in the school’s vestibule. They spoke through a crack in the glass door. Then the worker handed him a clear plastic bag filled with milk, applesauce, and muffins and wished him well.
New Haven Board of Education COO Micheal Pinto said participation is low right now. Pinto wants to get the word out that families can pick up food at the school closest to home.
He said the sites are spread out across the city to avoid close contact, so don’t get on a bus across town to pick up one of these meals.
More than 600 New Haven residents received about 1,300 take-out meals across the city on the first day of the program. The top five schools with the most visitors averaged about 50 participants.