(Courtesy of Warrick County Board of Education Food and Nutrition Department)
HENDERSON, Ky. (WEHT) – The Warrick County Board of Education Food and Nutrition Department is asking people who signed up for meal kits to pick up their meals.
Officials say it’s important that people do everything they can to receive meals. If you know you won’t be able to receive a meal, please call the Food and Nutrition Department at 812-897-1341 as soon as possible so they can provide meals to families on the waiting list. Officials say they will not be in the office on Wednesdays due to the distribution of meals.
According to the Warrick County Schools Food and Nutrition Department, more than 7,500 meals were not received in the past few weeks. Here are the numbers:
- June 26 – 1,770 meals unclaimed
- June 19th – 920 meals unclaimed
- June 12 – 2,090 meals unclaimed
- June 5 – 2,880 meals unclaimed
Officials explain that because unclaimed meals cannot be reimbursed by the federal government, if people don’t receive meal kits, it will have a significant impact on the department’s funding and ability to continue the program. But most importantly, it will mean fewer meals for people who were unable to apply because the program was fully booked, which means fewer children in the community will be able to receive meals.
A spokesperson said: “We will continue to send reminder emails every Tuesday to those who have signed up to receive meals. Please make sure to set a reminder to collect your meals or contact us if you are unable to receive them.”
The Warrick County School Corporation Food and Nutrition Department further explained that SUN Meals To-Go is a USDA program with strict rules and regulations. The department has created a waitlist option, allowing families on the waitlist to be called and offered meals during the evening distribution at BMS from 4-6pm if meals are not claimed during daytime pickup. The department said that while the slots are filled every week, staff will not be able to call families on the waitlist if they do not claim their meals in the evening because it has passed the “approved” meal distribution time.
The Warrick County School Corporation’s Food and Nutrition Department says it requested next-day pickup of additional meals, as was allowed during the pandemic, but was not approved due to changes in federal regulations. Officials say they are trying to come up with an alternative solution to the issue and are currently in the process of reaching out to the Department of Agriculture.
The department says that for now, they can only encourage people who apply to receive meals and fill any vacancies with families on the waiting list.
“We sincerely appreciate your understanding and hope to find a solution that benefits as many families as possible going forward,” a department spokesperson wrote.
