Channel One Regional Food Bank offering prepared meals

This is being made possible by a grant from the Minnesota Department of Education

Of new on daybreak.

Channel one regional food bank recently received a grant of nearly 700 thousand dollars from the minnesota department of education.

The mission is to supplement the meals students are missing out on while they're not in school full?

"*time.

Kimt news 3's madelyne watkins checked in with channel one to see exactly how this money will be distributed.

She joins us live now.

Good morning, madelyne./// tyler.

This is the first time that channel one regional food bank has been able to provide prepared meals for students and their families.

And it'll all begin next week.

This funding has to be spent by december 30th of this year.

Just in those three months... an additional 72 thousand meals will be provided to families who are facing food insecuirty.

The prepared meals will begin next week and pick?*- up locations will be spread out across the area ?

"*?

"* li rochester, stewartville, byron, dover and eyota.

Families can pick up the meals three times a week ?

"*?

"* whi consists of two meals each time.

If you add that up... it's a total of six dinners each week for every family member.

Thanks to some "cares act" funding from olmsted county... channel one is also able to double its backpack kits going into public schools and conduct home deliveries from the food shelf for rochester public school families.

Executive director, virginia merritt, tells me it's the power of partnerships with channel one that's making sure no one goes hungry.

"we know that families are struggling with kids missing meals they usually eat in school and with just the general economy and the hit that it's taking because of covid.

We partner with many different community organizations ?

"* there's a sie at the jeremiah program, a site at boys and girls club, headstart is participating ?

"* just to name a few.

Really getting food directly into the hands of families that need it."

Some other partnerships with channel one are the city of rochester and the rochester public library.

The partnership with the library will allow people in the community to be screened for food insecurity and provide them with the prepared meals if they're in need.

Live in rochester.

Madelyne watkins kimt news 3.

Thank you madelyne.

Channel one regional food bank is opening a new food shelf on october 9th.

They were able to remodel the previous one and expand it for indoor shopping since they're starting to transition from mostly curbside pick up... but if you prefer curbside