Reply To: My gezeila error

The above smiley was a thank you to Midwesterner

AAQ – I do not know all of the details but I do have some answers. I know that school lunches are usually only free to those in financial need but during this Covid lockdown the schools were given the go ahead to provide lunches to all students. Public and private. Regardless of need. It is in all states but I don’t know if it is federally or state funded. (I do not live in New York)

There was originally daily pick ups and you would state how many children under 18 were in your house (and there is a stipulation that they are not getting government funded food from any school or other program). After several months the program was extended (for the first time of many) and the local distributer here started doing semi weekly pick ups which then switched to weekly boxes.

Because the money is supposed to cover 7 days worth of meals per student, by combining the days together they have been able to include items like frozen pizza, box of knishes, packages of sliced cheese, 8packs of leben and yogurt etc. Often there is a package of deli as well. Our local vendors were not able to provide the quantities required for distribution as it is one source providing for the whole city (and now to 5 other cities as well) so the items are mostly spring valley, haOlam, sterns etc.

There are nutritional requirements as well as all food must be “ready to eat” (frozen items require heating, not cooking)

Also, hundreds (a thousand?) of the boxes go to non Jews who register for our distribution instead of picking up an apple, sandwich and carton of milk from their own school. The program gets reimbursed per each student served.

While it has been an unbelievable brocha, there are a handful of items that end up wasted due to either the item itself or the quantities provided.