Local charities take up student meal distribution
Leader photo by T. SCOTT BOATRIGHT
Jackson Cottingham, 6, of Ruston, picks up a free lunch distributed Monday afternoon at the Greenwood Recreational Complex. The meals are being distributed through a partnership with Lincoln Parish Fund and the Boys and Girls Club of North Louisiana and Newk’s Eatery. Looking on is Jackson’s mother Jyone Cottingham (left) and volunteer worker Nicole Postel.
While the school district is on spring break this week, the Lincoln Parish Fund has partnered with the Boys and Girls Club of North Louisiana to help fill in the gap and provide meals to school-age children.
In coordination with local law enforcement and volunteers, meals from Newk’s Eatery will be available for pickup at noon Monday through Friday at the following locations:
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Greenwood Recreation Center, 1306 Cornell Street, Ruston
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Lincoln Family Housing, 105 Greene Lane, Ruston
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Westwood Family Housing, 596 College Avenue, Grambling
Any school-age child is eligible for a meal and must be present to receive one. Lincoln Parish Fund co-founder Lucius McGeehee said a total of 250 meals will be available Monday, and the amount can be increased in the following days if demand is high.
Distribution will be “walk-up” rather than the “drive-up” method the school district had been using.
Schools have been closed by order of Gov. John Bel Edwards since March 16 to mitigate the spread of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, and will remain closed until at least April 13. The school board had distributed meals from many of its school sites until March 23 and will resume on April 6.
In order to adhere to state and local virus mitigation measures, proper social distancing will be maintained at the distribution sites.
“Please be patient with us as we work to accommodate the needs of these children this week,” a release from the Lincoln Parish Fund reads.
Established in 2019 to provide disaster relief in response to the April 25 tornado in Ruston, the Lincoln Parish Fund is now in the process of providing grants to local nonprofits responding to the coronavirus pandemic. The fund is paying for the Newk’s meals.
“The Lincoln Parish Fund exists to provide support for the community in times of great need,” McGeehee said. “And this is one of those times. As we did with the tornado through generous donations, we’ve been able to support our community, and child nutrition is a big part of that.”
Volunteers will distribute the meals using protective equipment provided by the Lincoln Parish Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness.
Donations to the Lincoln Parish Fund can be made at cfnla.org/ruston.
