Knox County Schools and others are providing help to children in need who rely on the school meal program amid the extended coronavirus closures.
Knox County isn't alone. Gov. Bill Lee announced that students in need who received meals through their schools will continue to do so through the closure -- saying it's happening in a number of ways from county to county.
For Knox County, the school system has set up 25 distribution sites across the county to provide alternative breakfast and lunch meals to children 18 and under.
The meals will be provided no charge while schools are closed through April 3. KCS said food cannot be distributed during an anticipated closure such as Spring Break due to federal regulations, so meal distribution will begin Monday, March 23, 2020.
Throughout the closure, meal distribution will occur on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays between 10 am-noon. The district said it will be providing two days’ worth of meals to be distributed on Monday and Wednesday, and a day’s worth of meals on Friday. Breakfast and lunch will be distributed at the same time.
The meals will be available at one of 25 designated emergency school feeding sites via drive-thru or walk-up for children to consume at home. There is no dine-in option due to measures to restrict the virus' spread.
Children must be present to receive meals; however, families can pick up at any distribution site regardless of enrollment. KCS said extra meals cannot be provided if additional children are not present.
Distribution of meals will occur near the main entrance of each school feeding site. These include:
- Austin-East High School: 2800 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave., Knoxville, TN 37914
- Bearden Middle School: 1000 Francis Road, Knoxville, TN 37909
- Bearden High School: 8352 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37919
- Beaumont Magnet Academy: 1211 Beaumont Ave., Knoxville, TN 37921
- Belle Morris Elementary School: 2308 Washington Pike, Knoxville, TN 37917
- Carter High School: 210 N. Carter School Road, Strawberry Plains, TN 37871
- Central High School: 5321 Jacksboro Pike, Knoxville, TN 37918
- Dogwood Elementary School: 705 Tipton Ave., Knoxville, TN 37920
- East Knox Elementary School: 9315 Rutledge Pike, Mascot, TN 37806
- Fulton High School: 2509 N. Broadway, Knoxville, TN 37917
- Gibbs High School: 7628 Tazewell Pike, Corryton, TN 37721
- Green Magnet Academy: 801 Lula Powell Dr., Knoxville, TN 37915
- Gresham Middle School: 500 Gresham Road, Knoxville, TN 37918
- Halls High School: 4321 E. Emory Road, Knoxville, TN 37938
- Inskip Elementary School: 4701 High School Road, Knoxville, TN 37912
- Karns Middle School: 2925 Gray Hendrix Road, Knoxville, TN 37931
- Lonsdale Elementary School: 1317 Louisiana Ave., Knoxville, TN 37921
- Maynard Elementary School: 737 College Street, Knoxville, TN 37921
- Northwest Middle School: 5301 Pleasant Ridge Road, Knoxville, TN 37912
- Pond Gap Elementary School: 4530 Papermill Dr., Knoxville, TN 37909
- Powell High School: 2136 W. Emory Road, Powell, TN 37849
- Sarah Moore Greene Academy: 3001 Brooks Ave., Knoxville, TN 37914
- South-Doyle Middle School: 3900 Decatur Road, Knoxville, TN 37920
- South-Doyle High School: 2020 Tipton Station Road, Knoxville, TN 37920
- West High School: 3300 Sutherland Ave., Knoxville, TN 37919
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