If Wichita schools close because of coronavirus, who will feed needy children?

Whenever public schools close — spring break, summer vacation, snow days, even weekends — poor children have a hard time finding meals.

With concerns about coronavirus and COVID-19 prompting massive school closures elsewhere in the country, Kansas representatives are discussing how to keep the free meals coming even if schools shut their doors.

U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran said Monday that he has been in talks with Agriculture Secretary Sonny Purdue about continuing school nutrition programs if schools stay closed for an extended period of time.

The USDA, the primary federal agency that oversees the school lunch program, “is in the process of (organizing) a system to deliver those meals, or a pickup of those meals, so the school lunch program will continue for low-income students even though there may not be school,” Moran said.

“And that’s a positive development as we try to meet the nutrition needs of Kansans across the state.”

More than three-fourths of students in Wichita, the state’s largest district, come from homes of poverty and qualify for free or reduced-price meals through the federally funded school lunch program.

Most Wichita-area students are on spring break this week. The Kansas Department of Education so far hasn’t issued any directive to close schools, but officials are expected to update the status of public schools by mid-week.

This week, Partners for Wichita and the Kansas Food Bank are providing free grab-and-go lunches to children at 18 sites in and around Wichita as part of their annual “Filling the Gap – Lunches for Kids” program.

Box lunches are served from noon to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday at locations such as Salvation Army offices, activity centers and churches. The lunches are free to anyone 18 or younger. No registration is required.

Distribution sites for the free lunches include the Salvation Army downtown, 350 N. Market; Evergreen Neighborhood Resource Center, 2700 N. Woodland; Urban League of Kansas, 2418 E. Ninth St.; and Oaklawn Activity Center, 4904 S. Clifton. For a complete list of sites, visit partnersforwichita.org.

“We’ve made some adjustments at the sites (because of concerns about coronavirus),” said Sheila Cairns, executive director of Partners for Wichita. “We’re just bagging up the meals and letting kids or parents come in and pick them up.”

Cairns said officials with several local agencies have discussed the possibility of distributing meals in the case of widespread school closures after spring break, but “We don’t have that set up yet.”

“We know that’s a huge concern, and we’re committed to doing whatever we can to make that happen,” she said. “But right now no decisions or final plans have been made.”