Seaside School District provides summer meals to students

Seaside School District has been providing a summer “Grab-n-Go” meal service this summer. The assistance began June 15 and will continue until Aug. 28.

This meal service, which provides free meals to children, is through the Summer Food Service Program, a federally funded nutrition program open to all kids aged 1-18 years. All children and teens are welcome to drop by one of the drop off locations.

Head Cook Jessica Smith said the school district took over the program from Coral Cook, who ran it from out of a church.

USDA granted a waiver to the Oregon Department of Education so the Seaside School District could provide a grab-n-go meal service (breakfast and lunch) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Meals are served at a designated site and children or an authorized adult may pick up meals.

“The children need to get their school lunches,” Smith said. “It’s more important now with everything going on.”

Smith said people are so appreciative of the meals and make it part of their daily routine. People sometimes move around and find the meal service at different sites.

“We’ll have to keep feeding people,” Smith said of the upcoming school year.

At this time, the school district does not know what that will look like.

From March to June of this year, the school buses took the group around to deliver the meals. Now in summer, the group drives their own vehicles to the sites. If they are able to use the buses again the fall, they expect to cover a bigger area than they are now.

“We’re happy to be here,” Smith said.

Smith said a lot of people have masks on when they pick up their food. The meal service always wears masks and drives to the various locations in a two hour time period. They deliver meals rain or shine.

“We’re serving hot dogs today,” Smith said on Thursday, July 30.

The hot dogs were cooked and bagged that morning, still warm for pickup.

The route in Cannon Beach goes from Shorewood – Spruce Court to Broadway Middle School at 1120 Broadway with the Grab-n-Go in the cafeteria. Another route for the Gearhart/Seaside area begins at Pine Grove at 2481 N Hwy 101 and ends at Salmonberry Knoll Apartments at 1250 S Wahanna Rd.

Meal Service Schedule

Cannon Beach / Broadway Middle School

11:18 a.m. – CB Shorewood – Spruce Court

11:37 a.m. – CB Elk Creek Apts

12:30 p.m. – Broadway Middle School – 1120 Broadway

Grab-n-Go in Cafeteria – entry on eastside

Gearhart/Seaside

11 a.m. – Pine Cove – 2481 N Hwy 101

11:18 a.m. – Windjammer – 4253 Hwy 101 N

11:34 a.m. – Gearhart Elementary School – 1002 Pacific Way

11:52 a.m. – Seaside Fitness Center

12:05 p.m. – 12th Avenue and N Holladay

12:17 p.m. – Cartwright Park – Avenue South and South Franklin Street

12:25 p.m. – Cooper and Stillwater

12:37 p.m. – Creekside Village Apartments – 1953 Spruce Dr

12:54 p.m. – Salmonberry Knoll Apartments – 1250 Wahanna Rd