Over the first two weeks of its coronavirus-induced grab-and-go school meals program, Prince George’s County has delivered more than 34,192 meal packages to its public school students. Between March 19, when the program expanded to 36 sites, and March 27, 2020, the grab-and-go meal program distributed an average of 4,004 meals packages per day.
The program, which was launched with just nine sites on March 16, 2020, under guidance from state school officials, has been widely praised by parents in the school system, and coveted by communities that lack sites. Last week, Riverdale Park sent a letter to school officials requesting a site. This week, a site was established at Riverdale Park Elementary School, as the grab-and-go meals program expanded to 43 sites.
Langley Park-McCormack Middle School, which launched its grab-and-go meals operations March 18, 2020, distributed 2,433 meal packages – each containing breakfast, lunch and a snack – by the end of the day March 27, the most across the first two weeks of the program. It averaged 270 meal package distributions over the first two weeks in operation. Benjamin Tasker Middle School was the second-most active site during that time period, with 2,277 meals packages delivered, followed by William Wirt Middle School, with 2,168 meal packages delivered.
On average, each of the 36 sites has delivered 949 meal packages over the first two weeks of the program. Each site, adjusted for number of days in operation, distributes an average of 109 meal packages per day.
This data, obtained by Public Information Act request filed March 27, 2020, comes from the Prince George’s County Public School System, which is tracking the performance of the program.
The least-active site in the program is J. Frank Dent Elementary in Temple Hills, which distributed 151 meal packages over nine days in operation, an average of 17 meal packages distributed per day.
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