WACO, TX — In many respects, the public health crisis that we face is a rapidly developing situation. That is especially true when it comes to the state and federal rules that apply to Waco Independent School District’s “grab and go” meal program.
Their goal is to provide as many nutritious and delicious free meals to children in the Waco community as possible, and WISD child nutrition services team has been closely monitoring announcements from the Texas Department of Agriculture to make sure that they are doing just that.
Starting this week, WISD is able to provide breakfast and lunch for Saturday and Sunday again. WISD meal distribution sites will be closed tomorrow for the Good Friday holiday.
As a result, when families pick up meals today, each child will receive lunches for Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday and breakfasts for Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday.
WISD will return to regular schedule of distributing meals from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Monday through Friday next week. Starting next week, WISD will begin distributing dinners at the same time that they distribute breakfasts and lunches.
Monday through Thursday, each child will receive lunch and dinner for that day as well as breakfast for the following day.
Waco ISD have only received approval to distribute dinners Monday through Friday. On Fridays, each child will receive three breakfasts, three lunches, and dinner for that day. If you are picking up meals for a child who is not with you at that time, the state is now requiring to see some type of documentation that the meal is going to a child.
If the child is in school, you can present a copy of a report card or attendance report. If the child is not in school, you can present a copy of a birth certificate.
In order to make this process easier, WISD child nutrition services team can provide you with an authorization card to display when you pick up meals instead of presenting one of the forms of the documentation above.
To request an authorization card, email cns@wacoisd.org or call 254-752- 5522. For Waco ISD students, when requesting a card, please include their name, ID number, school, and the location where you will pick up their meals.
For other children, please include their name and the location where you will pick up their meals. When you pick up their authorization card, you will need to show one of the forms of the documentation listed above.
However, once you receive the authorization card, you will be able to use it in place of other forms of documentation.
As always, if a child is present when the meals are picked up, no documentation is needed to get a free meal for any child 18-years-old and under regardless of where they attend school.
You can find a map and a listing of meal distribution sites at wacoisd.org/COVID19. Click on meals. WISD child nutrition services team began distributing “grab and go” meals less than four weeks ago, and by the end of this week, they will have distributed more than 100,000 free meals to kids in the Waco community.
