JP Schools Extends Grab & Go Meals Through Summer
Jefferson Parish Schools will continue to provide meals to children during the summer months. The district will offer its Grab & Go meals until July 31 after extending its partnership with the Three O’Clock Project.
“Our families need us now more than ever, and that need extends far beyond academics,” said JP Schools Superintendent Dr. Cade Brumley. “This was an easy decision to make. It’s just the right thing to do.”
The extended meal service will come with some changes. Family members are highly encouraged to bring their children to pick up meals beginning June 1. If children are not present, parents must submit a Summer Meal Requirements form to receive meals. Those forms will be available at each site and can be downloaded at jpschools.org/GrabAndGo.
Families will also be provided enough meals for all seven days of the week. Children will receive breakfast and lunch for that day and the following day on Mondays and Wednesdays. On Fridays, children will receive enough breakfasts and lunches to last through the weekend.
JP Schools has provided around 500,000 meals to children since starting the Grab & Go service March 18. The district’s 13 Grab & Go sites will continue to be open Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The 13 Grab & Go locations will remain the same. The locations are:
- Bissonet Plaza Elementary: 6818 Kawanee Drive in Metairie
- Emmett Gilbert School: 435 S. Jamie Blvd. in Westwego
- Fisher: 2529 Jean Lafitte Blvd. in Lafitte
- Gretna Middle: 910 Gretna Blvd. in Gretna
- Hazel Park Elementary: 8809 Jefferson Hwy. in River Ridge
- Marie Riviere Elementary: 1564 Lake Ave. in Metairie
- Marrero Middle: 4100 7th Street in Marrero
- Meisler Middle: 3700 Cleary Ave. in Metairie
- Riverdale High: 240 Riverdale Drive in Jefferson
- Terrytown Elementary: 550 E. Forest Lawn Drive in Terrytown
- Truman School: 5417 Ehret Road in Marrero
- Woods Elementary: 1037 31st Street in Kenner
- Worley Middle: 801 Spartans Drive in Westwego
Grab & Go meal sites will be closed May 25 for Memorial Day and July 3 to observe Independence Day. The last day of the 2019-20 school year for students is May 21. The 2020-21 school year starts for students August 6.
Meals will be offered to any child age 18 and under or special needs students age 21 and under regardless of whether they are a JP Schools student.
Eighty-two percent of the families in JP Schools are economically disadvantaged.
Three O’Clock Project is a nonprofit organization. Their mission is to provide healthy meals and nutrition education for at-risk students after school.
Meals will be provided to all children age 18 and under without charge. Acceptance and participating requirements for the program and all activities are the same for all regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, or retaliation for prior civil rights activity in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA and there will be no discrimination in the course of the meal service. Jefferson Parish Schools is an equal opportunity provider.
In addition to JP Schools’ Grab & Go meal program, Jefferson Parish families who normally receive free or reduced-price meals at school may also apply for the Pandemic EBT (P-EBT) program. On May 15, Governor John Bel Edwards announced Louisiana has received approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to help feed as many as 611,430 students during the coronavirus pandemic. Under the new P-EBT program, families of children who normally receive free or reduced-price meals at school may get financial assistance to replace those meals. For more information about this program, families can contact the LAHelpU Call Center at 1-888-524-3578.