Guilford County Schools adds weekly summer meal pickups for families

Guilford County Schools is widening its summer feeding plan with weekly grab-and-go pickups that could change the math for working parents, especially those juggling shifts, childcare and unreliable transportation. Starting June 17, families will be able to pick up a full week of breakfasts and lunches in one stop, instead of making a daily trip for summer meals.

The weekly option will run at four sites: Monticello-Brown Summit Elementary, Simkins Elementary, Southern Middle School and Childcare Network Daycare at 1307 E. Fairfield Road in High Point. Pickups will happen Wednesdays from 3 to 6 p.m. through June 24, then resume July 8 through Aug. 12. Families will need to register through the district website, and they must choose either the weekly pickup model or the daily dine-in model for each week.

The meals are available to children and young people 18 and younger who live in Guilford County. GCS says the weekly pickup provides seven days of breakfasts and lunches at once, while the district will continue daily dine-in breakfast and lunch service at 13 summer meal sites from June 15 through Aug. 13. Blackout days include June 18, the week of June 29 through July 2, and Fridays when district offices are closed.

The move comes as food insecurity remains a major countywide problem. Feeding America estimates Guilford County had 82,510 food-insecure people in 2023, with a food insecurity rate of 15.2% and an annual food budget shortfall of $57,703,000. For families already stretched by rent, gas and grocery prices, the ability to leave one site with a week of meals can reduce both costs and the number of unpaid hours spent on the road.

District leaders have tied the change to the realities of life outside the classroom. Dr. Whitney Oakley, GCS’s fifth superintendent, serves more than 66,000 PK-12 students and 10,000 employees at 120 schools, and the district says its transportation department employs more than 800 staff members. School buses travel more than 42,000 miles a day across Guilford County’s 650 square miles, a reminder of how distance can become a barrier even before a family reaches a meal site.

GCS has offered summer meals since the pandemic began, and the district says its food service team provides thousands of breakfast and lunch meals each year that meet USDA dietary guidelines. The weekly pickup adds another layer of flexibility to a program that is now functioning as part of Guilford County’s summer safety net, not just a school service.