Jefferson County and Birmingham city schools, with more than 57,000 students combined, announced Tuesday that students in their districts will have access to meals again, starting Wednesday.
The announcements came a few days after district officials announced meal service would end due to safety concerns surrounding the spread of coronavirus.
Birmingham city officials announced the restart in a press release, saying a partnership of the city, the school system, the Birmingham ED Foundation, BhamStrong and others made it possible to serve meals Wednesday and Thursday.
Related: Many Alabama schools stop serving meals to slow coronavirus, others keep serving
Birmingham City school students can pick up lunches on Wednesday and Thursday across the city at 17 recreation centers and in 10 locations where refrigerated trucks will be parked. Here’s a link to those times and locations. Meals will not be served on Good Friday, April 10.
Beginning April 13 and continuing through June 5, meals will be available to students through a partnership between Kikstart and the school district. Those meals will be served at seven Birmingham city schools, but exact times have not been announced.
Jefferson County school officials said they also have a partnership with Kikstart, and meals will be provided Monday, Wednesday, and Friday through June 5. Students can pick up breakfast and lunch.
Here's a link to locations and times when meals for Jefferson County students will be available for pickup.
Demopolis City schools, which was the first to publicly announce they were stopping serving meals, announced meals are being made available for students in need through a community organization.
While students in these districts will now have access to meals, other districts including Fairfield City, Enterprise City, and DeKalb County schools, have all stopped meal services, which were grab-and-go, over safety concerns.
Madison County, with 18,000 students enrolled, closed their schools for meal pickup but will donate food from their schools to community partners who will then distribute those meals to students.
Most school districts made meals available for students through the initial school closure period, March 16 through April 3, but it's unclear how many will continue to do so from here on out.
It's a difficult choice for school officials, as they must choose between feeding hungry kids and working to slow the spread of the virus.
Families that need help with food should reach out for help, Alabama Arise’s hunger advocacy coordinator Celida Soto Garcia said. She recommends texting “FOOD” to 877-877, a service of No Kid Hungry, a national non-profit organizations that helps alleviate child hunger. Provide your zip code or full address and they’ll text back where meals are available near you.
The Alabama State Department of Education's Break for a Plate website is available, though it requires a lot of clicks to get to helpful information and doesn't work well on mobile devices.
United Way’s 211 call center is a resource, too. “211 is the number to call when you’re in need,” said Executive Director Becky Booker. “We are the best place to connect you with available resources in your community.”
Updated 4/8/2020, 9:50 a.m., with additional information about meals served through June 5 by Birmingham City Schools.