NHCS serves one million meals since beginning of COVID-19 pandemic

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Members of the New Hanover County School system have been hard at work since March making sure the coronavirus didn’t stop children from getting the nutrition they need.

“We’ve been there from the beginning, and you know what? We’re still going,” Child Nutrition Director Imer Smith said. “We’ve met that one million meal mark. We are still going, and we’re going to continue to feed the children in the community.”

The total number of children served has grown over the past several months. What began as a 14 site operation has expanded to include 44 different schools and 20 neighborhoods.

Wilmington Mayor Bill Saffo says he has been listening to the concerns of parents while trying to keep the project running smoothly.

“I can tell you as the mayor of the city, I received a tremendous amount of calls about the concerns that parents have for their kids,” Saffo said.

But Saffo admits, it hasn’t always been easy.

“There is no playbook for COVID-19,” Saffo said. “The last one was over a hundred years ago, and we’re having to go back through our archives just to see what they were doing in 1918. Believe it or not, we’re doing almost the exact same thing that they did a hundred years ago.”

Despite the challenges faced throughout the pandemic, Saffo says he is proud of how everyone has come together to help feed the community.

“We understand the angst of the citizens,” Saffo continued. “We understand the angst of the community, teachers, parents and kids. But I just wanted to say that you folks have done a phenomenal job.”

Many students in New Hanover County will head back to school next month, but the school system is still keeping them in mind.

Students are scheduled to continue to receive free meals through the end of the year.