Amid COVID-19, some Midlands schools seeing three-fold increase in need for meals

School districts in the S.C. Midlands have seen a soaring demand for more free meals compared to last summer amid the coronavirus pandemic.

In some districts, such as Lexington 2 and Lexington-Richland 5, demand for free meals is more than three times higher than last summer, district officials told The State.

The four Midlands school districts that responded to a questionnaire from The State — Richland 2, Lexington 1, Lexington 2 and Lexington-Richland 5 — all said they were seeing an increase in demand for free meals compared to last summer.

Since in-person classes were initially canceled on March 15, the four school districts have served more than 1.5 million meals, district officials said.

“The need is tremendous, and families are so appreciative,” Rion Skinner, the food services director for Sodexo, which provides meals for Lexington 2, said in a statement. The coronavirus pandemic “happened so unexpectedly and left them with no time to plan, and many were unable to work.”

The meals, free to any students under 18 years old, are funded by grants from the United States Department of Agriculture, local school officials said.

How long schools continue to serve free take-home meals depends on federal funding and the district, officials said. For example, Lexington 1 will provide meals through July 4, while Richland 1 will provide meals through the end of July.

One of the challenges school districts faced since the beginning of the pandemic was adjusting from a meals program that serves food in a cafeteria setting to a grab-and-go style, which required different supplies and different types of food, said Lexington 1 spokeswoman Mary Beth Hill.

Schools throughout the state have been experiencing a surge in need for meals. As of June 22, schools in South Carolina have served more than 16 million meals, S.C. Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman said during a meeting last week.

However, that surge in demand may be declining. Lexington 1 and Richland 2 have both seen a decrease in demand for meals in recent weeks, officials said.