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By JOYANNA LOVE/ Senior Staff Writer

Chilton County Schools Child Nutrition Feeding Program will be changing its schedule starting April 13.

The new schedule will have food available on Mondays only.

However, Superintendent Jason Griffin said students would receive the same amount of food, enough to cover each the days that they would have traditionally been in school for lunch.

“It will limit our interaction to one day a week to limit exposure of the virus,” Griffin said of the change.

He said participation has been “tremendous.”

“Thank you to all of those who have assisted with our feeding program,” Griffin said. “The number of students that we are serving continues to increase. We are glad that are students are being fed.”

The pick up only lunches and snacks are available at Verbena High, Clanton Intermediate, Jemison High, Thorsby High, Isabella High and Maplesville High from 11 a.m. to noon. Food is available for students 18 and younger.

Signs will direct drivers where to go. Child Nutrition Director Tasha Hayes said there will be no need to leave the vehicle, but the child “must be present in order to receive a meal,” according to federal guidelines.

The lunches will include a protein, grain, fruit, vegetable and dairy following the same guidelines as lunches normally served in the cafeteria.

Cafeteria staff are preparing the food.

“We will continue feeding on Mondays until further notice,” Griffin said.

The program is expected to run through May 21, which is the last day of the school year.

The meal program is one of the ways that the school system is trying to continue to provide services to students despite the physical campuses being shut down as a part of coronavirus prevention mandates.

All Alabama public schools were told to make alternative arrangements for the remainder of the school year on March 26. CCS students began online learning on April 6 or will be working through learning packets once they receive them in the mail.