Illinois schools have served more than 113 million meals to low income families during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Students learning from home still need to eat, and the school breakfast and lunch program proved an invaluable resource as some families struggled with unemployment.
Illinois State Board of Education principal consultant Tim Murphy says many schools offered curbside pickup to help guard against the virus.
"Even some schools now they're allowed to do advanced meals, so on a Monday a family could come and pick up meals for their kids. So, they would get five breakfasts and five lunches for the week. That helps them save trips and minimize the exposure."
The state board is looking to add more participants such as local governments, camps and community groups to the summer meals program. Click here for more information.
