Since schools across Illinois closed in mid-March, Waukegan Community Unit School District # 60 has adapted how it educates and supports students, including how the District distributes much-needed free meals.
From the time of Governor J. B. Pritzker’s initial order to close schools, more than 150,000 free meals have been distributed to Waukegan students thanks to a collaboration between the school district, Preferred Meals and Illinois Central. Despite schools being closed for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year, District 60 remains committed to providing free breakfast and lunch to students in need.
Organized by the District’s Transportation and Child Nutrition Department, the district's new meal program has already evolved significantly over the last weeks to meet the evolving needs of the community. Changes have come in the form of hosting additional meal distribution days when needed, as well as shifting distribution from a few centralized school locations to transporting meals to 110 locations throughout the Waukegan community.