HARLINGEN — Two girls rushed around a table set with Styrofoam boxes of fried chicken.
“Stay on that side of the table, one at a time,” said Jesus Guerrero, computer technician at Crockett Elementary School.
He and other Crockett Elementary faculty and administrators served meals Tuesday to their students through the Harlingen school district’s Good To Go Meal Pick Ups. Schools throughout the district are still serving breakfast and lunch to students during the coronavirus outbreak, only now it’s curbside.
“I feel blessed that they are helping us,” said Carmen Lopez, one of many mothers who brought her daughter Julie to pick up a meal. Julie, 8, had a smile on her face.
“I really miss going to school,” said Julie, as her principal Juan Manuel Garcia helped with the delivery of meals.
Garcia was filled with the same vibrant energy as always.
“We have to make sure students feel some kind of connection by providing them with meals,” he said as he moved about briskly.
On Monday, 111 meals had been served for breakfast and 217 for lunch. Administrators had 250 lunches to give away on Tuesday.
“We have two sides,” he said. “We have drive-through, and on the other side they can just walk up and get and go.”
Cars packed with parents and kids moved in a steady flow past tables where Guerrero placed Styrofoam boxes filled with fried chicken, bread and corn. Cynthia Rodriguez, instructional coach, placed plastic bags with a banana, milk and chips on top of each box.
“I just feel glad I am able to provide support to the families,” Rodriguez said.
The new curbside service provided a welcome relief from the long food lines outside grocery stores.
“They have a good offering, variety,” said Fabian Guerrero as a child next to him rummaged through the eats. Guerrero gestured to the banana in the child’s hand.
“We couldn’t find bananas at the store,” he said. “They’ve got milk also. I don’t have to wait in the line so long.”
For more information on the Good To Go program and locations, visit www.hcisd.org/health.
