National Guard to provide Cape schools with meal-issuance support

The Missouri National Guard will join volunteers on the front lines, distributing meals to Cape Girardeau families served by the school district, thanks to a partnership through the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, or DESE.

Superintendent Neil Glass said that since March 18, more than 70,000 meals have been prepared by cafeteria staff, then packaged and distributed in a drive-through line at the school buildings.

Last week alone, staff and volunteers distributed 17,000 meals, Glass said.

“Our volunteers are getting tired,” he said.

That’s why, when Ken Jackson, area supervisor for DESE, reached out by email, Glass said he replied with “We’ll take all the help we can get.”

It’s part of a statewide plan to deliver assistance to districts, according to a DESE news release.

“Many families in the Cape community and across the nation are depending on public school districts to continue providing nourishing meals to children during the pandemic,” Glass said. “We’re thankful that our state leaders recognized the value in providing us support to help continue this service. This allows us to give our volunteers a well-deserved break.”

The pickup service at school buildings allows people to drive by, give the number of children in the household to the volunteer, who provides that many bags, and they’re on their way, Glass said.

“We couldn’t have done this without the volunteers,” Glass said. “My food service director has taken this project and done amazing things with it. It’s a great operation that serves this community well.”

Glass said the program also offers a way for students, teachers and principals to maintain a connection during this time of disruption.

“It’s an opportunity to see the kids, provide them with a little bit of normalcy,” Glass said.

It also contributes to the district’s mission to see to students’ well-being.

“Your Missouri National Guard is proud to be a part of this very important mission,” Col. Denise Wilkinson, commander of 70th Troop Command with the Missouri National Guard, said in a news release. “Assisting DESE with meal distribution to ensure Missouri children receive the nutritional meals they need is another great example of the enduring partnerships and strong teams we’re building during these challenging times.”