GILMER, Texas — Gilmer ISD is using their fleet of school buses to deliver food to any child needing meals during this time.
"I know there’s a lot of anxiety right now. There’s a lot of uncertainty," Gilmer ISD Athletic Director Alan Matzel said. "And being able to see a yellow school bus pull up and bring something to eat, I think that’s a good thing."
Buses will travel routes between 11:30 a.m. through 1:30 a.m, covering both rural and city streets to deliver the meals. For kids in rural areas, the buses will arrive later in the time frame.
Superintendent Rick Albritton says the decision to use the buses for delivery was to serve more children, particularly in the rural areas.
"Last week week we had about nine locations that we were delivering to, but we weren’t serving as many children as we felt like we could. So we have about 2,600 kids and we were only serving about 600 meals," Gilmer Superintendent Rick Albritton said. "So we changed this week and we’re using our bus routes. Our teachers wanted to play a part in it, and our coaches. And they’re the ones that are driving the buses."
The buses will have lunch and the next days’ breakfast available.
"They get the meal for lunch, milk or juice, and they get breakfast for tomorrow, which is always some type of dry good," Albritton said. "It will be cereal or donuts, something like that."
After only one day, teachers and staff the delivery program has been a success.
"Everybody is very excited, glad to see us," Matzel said. "Moms and kids right there wanting to tell you their names and then say, Hey!' to you and asking what was in the lunch and just excited, I think, to see somebody right now."
In addition to delivery, the district will continue to hand out lunches at schools inside the city limits.