Wiscasset families found something extra in their meal bags April 29 as they either picked up or received delivered school meals. For weeks, families received prepared bagged breakfasts and lunches on Mondays and Wednesdays to fill the void created by school’s premature closure by the coronavirus. On Wednesday morning, they each found a $25 Hannaford’s gift card along with their cereal, juice, fruit and sandwiches. Good Shepherd Food Bank and Hannaford donated 500 gift cards. 

The six-person cafeteria staff has expanded to about a dozen including volunteers who prepare and deliver food to the town’s student population. The staff prepares meals Monday through Friday with pick-ups and deliveries twice a week. Pick-ups begin at 9 a.m. behind Wiscasset Elementary School. For families who can’t make the trip into town, the program uses three school buses and two vans which travel five routes delivering food.

Food Nutrition Director Lorie Johnson reported the department serves 280 to 300 meals five days per week. One bag includes a breakfast and lunch. Breakfast includes cereal, muffin, egg cheese sandwich, juice and fruit. The lunch includes a variety of meals like a sandwich or donated items from Good Shepherd Food Bank or chowders, chilis, breads, chop suey and cinnamon rolls from Sarah’s Cafe or the local backpack food program. 

Monday through Friday, the staff’s day begins at 6 a.m. and ends at 11 a.m. when the final delivery is made. On Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, the staff prepares to make and serve the next meal. The meals are distributed between 9 and 11 a.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays.  Johnson became nutrition director in 1992. She believes her staff has been instrumental in converting the food program from an on-site to a delivery service. “I couldn’t do it without them. I have a great team. They are amazing,” she said.