“Everyone is stepping up in Battle Creek,” said Jes Eldridge, school leader at Battle Creek Montessori Academy.
“I am so incredibly proud of how our community is pulling together to help each other out. You could throw a stone and find a place for your kid to eat for free in this community,” she said.
Eldridge knows how important school meals are to kids since 100% of the student population at Battle Creek Montessori receives free breakfast and lunch every day.
When the governor mandated school closure for the next three weeks due to the COVID-19 outbreak, she and her team went to work immediately to address all the needs of her students, including providing opportunities for continued learning at home and meals.
On Monday, Eldridge along with staff members Ms. Sam, Ms. Ginny, Ms. Heather M. (her son Andrew) and parent volunteer Ms. Sophie hopped on a Battle Creek Montessori bus in the morning and delivered meals to student bus stops. 1,226 breakfast, lunches and additional schoolwork was delivered.
Every other school in Battle Creek is also providing meals to kids. Battle Creek Montessori’s parking lot is also a meal pick-up location for the area
Eldridge is so proud to live in a community where people come together in times of uncertainty.
For a list of resources in the Battle Creek community, please visit the Battle Creek United Way’s page https://changethestory.org/.