{"id":11606,"date":"2020-04-06T14:37:50","date_gmt":"2020-04-06T14:37:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/state.nokidhungry.org\/indiana\/?p=11606"},"modified":"2020-04-06T14:37:50","modified_gmt":"2020-04-06T14:37:50","slug":"blog-school-city-of-hammond-heroes-tackle-covid-19","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/state.nokidhungry.org\/indiana\/2020\/04\/06\/blog-school-city-of-hammond-heroes-tackle-covid-19\/","title":{"rendered":"BLOG: School City of Hammond Heroes Tackle COVID-19"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Christine Clarahan and her cafeteria team had just over a day to prepare for feeding students when the coronavirus closed the School City of Hammond, Indiana.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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And then the snow and rain came.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat first week I thought, if I don’t get COVID, I’m going to get the flu,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Drenched without weatherproof gear, she and her staff handed out kids\u2019 breakfasts and lunches to car lines so long they congested the city\u2019s major avenues. Police had to manage traffic.<\/p>\n

And then they ran out of food.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cIt has been a very steep learning curve, but that’s because the need is so strong in this community,\u201d she explained. \u201cIt feels like we’ve been doing this forever now, but this is only the beginning of week three.\u201d<\/p>\n

The district\u2019s director of food service, Clarahan has been adapting to the ever-changing situation in order to feed the kids of her low-income community.<\/p>\n

She went from a cafeteria staff of nearly 160 to just 39. They can use only six of the district\u2019s 19 schools as feeding sites, but they\u2019ve been serving breakfasts and lunches three times a week to as many as 2,400 kids in a day.<\/p>\n

They\u2019ve fed kids in need more than 60,000 meals since schools closed.<\/p>\n

And then a school bus monitor passed away from COVID-19.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am definitely doing everything I can to be brave,\u201d she said. \u201cIt’s very real here. We’re just trying anything we can do to help feed these kids.\u201d<\/p>\n

Part of being brave has been donning a milk carton costume to cheer up the children \u2013 and her staff \u2013 as they arrive in the car line.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe’re trying to make it fun, because this is very scary for the kids. We have received so much overwhelming love,\u201d she said. \u201cThey’re happy because they’re seeing their lunch ladies. It’s a little familiarity for them.\u201d<\/p>\n

But Clarahan doesn\u2019t have to be brave on her own.<\/p>\n

With the help of donors, we sent Clarahan an\u00a0emergency grant<\/a>\u00a0to get the resources and equipment she needs to feed her students. She\u2019s purchased meal carts and temperature-controlled pans that allow her staff to safely serve meals over hours at a time.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can’t tell you how crucial the No Kid Hungry funding is,\u201d she shared. \u201cIt’s been a lifeline for us. It’s making what we’re doing right now possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

Families\u2019 paychecks are running out and disappearing altogether because of the pandemic, and more are hearing about the meals Clarahan is providing. She\u2019s even going to start feeding students from a local religious school that\u2019s run out of resources.<\/p>\n

The need will only rise, but the No Kid Hungry funds are giving her some calm, if not some tears.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cI don’t think I even have the words to say how grateful I am, because I’ll just start crying,\u201d she said. \u201cI’m grateful that we’re able to do this. We will feed any kid. We will feed you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite the situation and all the setbacks, Clarahan will continue to get up every day to give the children of her district the nutrition they need to thrive. And she\u2019ll do it with the confidence of the last item she purchased with No Kid Hungry support: rain ponchos.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is worth it when you see the kids\u2019 smiles, or the relief on the parents’ faces. Their kids are fed this week. They\u2019re good,\u201d she shared. \u201cIf it wasn’t for that, I think it would be really hard to keep going.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, on behalf of hers and other programs feeding kids during this crisis, she has a message for anyone who will listen: \u201cPlease help us,\u201d she said. \u201cPeople would go hungry without this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Help us support heroes like Clarahan feeding kids in communities coast to coast during this crisis and in the recovery to follow.<\/p>\n

Learn more about\u00a0No Kid Hungry’s coronavirus response<\/a>, and please\u00a0donate now<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n
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