ELIZABETHTOWN — Change happened quickly.
It was March 14, a Saturday, when Bladen County Schools officials were told no students for the next two weeks amid rising concerns about the coronavirus. It had been 11 days earlier when the state got its first case.
Fast forward to December. Students never returned to buildings last spring; they’ve only partially come back in the fall.
And last week, the district celebrated having produced 1 million meals since Gov. Roy Cooper kept all the kids out of school.
“I am especially proud, and thankful, for the many child nutrition staff that have prepared, packed, served and helped deliver meals to our students and other children in our community,” Amy Stanley, the child nutrition director, said in a release from the district.
All the meals prepared were free. Any child in the county under the age of 18 — regardless of being a student in the Bladen County Schools, charter schools, private schools or home-schooled — could get a meal.
The process to get meals and in some cases class work to students was a challenging transportation issue. The district scrambled again when students began to return to classrooms on a limited basis in September.
“BCS child nutrition staff have worked hard to continue to provide meal services to children that have become even more vital during this pandemic,” Suprintendent Dr. Robert Taylor said in the release.
The district celebrated with surprise announcements at both East Bladen and West Bladen high schools.
Dr. Jason Atkinson, the assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction, added, “When children are hungry, we know it makes it more difficult for them to concentrate and focus on learning. As the child of a former school cafeteria manager, I know first-hand the love with which these meals are served.”