Lunch suppliers look to reach students should schools close

LACONIA — Got Lunch!, an organization which started as a way to continue supplying children with a nutritious meal during summer vacations, is now considering leveraging its abilities to keep children fed should schools close their doors due to coronavirus concerns.

John Walker, who founded Got Lunch! in Laconia in 2011, after wondering about the children who qualify for free and reduced lunches – in some of the city’s elementary schools, they comprise more than half of the student population.

Walker said the organization is now “considering” how they could get food to students if schools switch to a remote education plan in order to limit the spread of coronavirus. Board members are expected to meet with school officials within the next several days to make a plan.

The Laconia model has since been replicated in other Lakes Region towns. Gilford is one of them, and their Got Lunch! program is operated out of the Gilford Youth Center. Scott Hodsdon, GYC director, said the program offers a weekend program during the school year.

“If anything happens where school is out for a significant amount of time, Got Lunch is going to go to a seven-day period,” he said.

Tom Francoeur, founder of Gilford Got Lunch!, said the organization currently has the resources to provide at least two weeks’ worth of food.

“Because of our wonderful donors, we probably will be able to do that, yes,” Francoeur said. “We purchase food from local grocery stores, our main NH Food Bank is another (source). We use our resources until they’re used up. We’re going to do whatever we have to do until our resources are dried up. Our number one concern is to take care of the kids.”

While the usual summer delivery model for Got Lunch! is to drop off bags of food at individual doorsteps, the organizations contacted indicated that they wouldn’t be able to organize the teams of drivers in such short notice. They would instead plan to use remote drop-off locations where families could come collect the groceries.

Jan Brooks, a coordinator of the similarly-oriented End 68 Hours of Hunger, said her organization is positioning itself to respond should the Governor Wentworth School District tell students to stay home for a period of time.

“We will be talking as our program coordinators as to what we will be doing in the weeks to come, certainly we want to make the food available to families,” Brooks said.