Pinellas County Schools announced the district will offer free snacks and meals to all children in the county, whether enrolled or not.
A flyer says parents and caregivers of children and teens 18 years or younger can pick up a week’s worth of meals, composed of breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. A wide array of meals include several sandwiches, pancakes, cookies and fresh veggies.
“We are pleased to provide the Free Meal Program to the children of Pinellas County. Healthy foods provide the energy and nutrients to promote healthy growth and development in children,” says director of food and nutrition Lynn Geist in a press release.
Pinellas County Schools is the largest district in Florida and 26th in the U.S., serving 96,604 students.
Meals are distributed every Thursday. Pickup times for elementary and high school students is from 4:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m, middle school is 5 p.m.- 7p.m. Parents can select from 30 school locations including Belleair Elementary, Dunedin Middle, and Boca Ciega High School. Parents of students with special dietary restrictions can plan on selecting which school they’ll always pick up meals. They’d have to contact the district and have a medical professional fill out a special form for the specific dietary restrictions.
Meals are first-come, first-served and parents can pick up the food at any district site. No ID is required to receive food. The program will continue until the end of the 2020-2021 school year.
In a similar move, Citrus County schools announced free meals for students during Thanksgiving break. More info on that is at citrusschools.org.
Pinellas Schools
- Belleair Elementary
- Cypress Woods Elementary
- Eisenhower Elementary
- Garrison Jones Elementary
- High Point Elementary
- Lakewood Elementary
- Sandy Lane Elementary
- Skyview Elementary
- Azalea Middle
- Bay Point Middle
- Carwise Middle
- Dunedin Middle
- Fitzgerald Middle
- Hopkins Middle
- Largo Middle
- Lealman Innovation Academy
- Maderia Fundamental Middle
- Meadowlawn Middle
- Oak Grove Middle
- Osceola Middle
- Palm Harbor Middle
- Pinellas Park Middle
- Safety Harbor Middle
- Seminole Middle
- Tarpon Springs Middle
- Thurgood Marshall Middle
- Tyrone Middle
- Boca Ciega High
- Countryside High
- Hollins High
UPDATED: 11/06/20 5:05 p.m. Updated to reflect a Nov. 6 update in Pinellas enrollment.
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