Staff members from the Tacoma Public Schools Food Services department gathered fresh produce from their respective schools to donate to the Pierce County Emergency Food Network (EFN).
Twelve pallets, approximately four to five days of perishable food, mainly fresh produce, was donated to EFN today who will then deliver this food to more than 70 food banks and kitchens in Pierce County.
In preparation for the start of school, the Food Services department orders fruits and vegetables that are kept in coolers for a longer period of time before spoiling. Such fruits and vegetables are: apples, oranges, lettuce, carrot sticks, versus bananas or tomatoes that easily spoil.
The director of Food Services contacted EFN today to discuss further options due to the closure of schools. The Food Services team examined the food supply and decided to donate some of the produce before it spoiled.
On Friday, the district’s milk vendor picked up a supply of milk that will be served to other students in other districts throughout Pierce County. The vendor picked up 42,000 ½ pint servings of milk, roughly two-thirds or 2,625 gallons of milk.
The district’s Food Services department orders and keeps a two-day supply of milk on-hand. This is an under-estimate of roughly 50,000 ½ pint servings of milk or 3,214 gallons served for breakfast and lunch.
The district is keeping 8,000 ½ pint servings of milk on hand, enough for breakfast, and can quickly have more milk delivered before lunch once school resumes.
“It’s difficult to make any predictions at this time but we will continue to review our food supply on a day-to-day basis to determine next steps,” said Food Services Director Paul Scott.