KENT, Wash. — Families in the Kent School District had another opportunity to pick up free meals for the week after some families were turned away last week due to a shortage.
Parents sent KING 5 video of long lines as families waited in their cars to pick up a box of meals for the week provided by the district.
The Kent Schools District, in a written statement, says it has averaged 10,200 meals a day since school closures started.
However, on Monday, the district distributed nearly 70,000 meals.
"The shortages are escalating every week. It's not just last week, we're seeing needs steadily rising as more people are becoming unemployed, more people getting less access to resources," said Tahmina Martelly, of World ReliefSeattle.
Since the start of the pandemic, organizations in the greater Kent area have worked to boost the food supply for families in need.
"It's such a complex problem and we know that we still have gaps," said Brenda Farwell of the Kent Community Foundation.
The Kent Community Foundation, World Relief Seattle, and a community group called 'We Love Kent' are just three of some 40 groups now meeting regularly to help feed families in need.
In the days that have followed the shortage, the community groups have stepped up efforts to collect donations. More fundraisers and food drives are in the works for the coming weeks. They're even trying new tactics: breaking down bulk donations into smaller packages.
In response to the demand, the district says it has increased the supply of meals several times in the weeks since then.
“Today (Monday) we distributed 6,080 boxes (60,800 meals) of the 6,991 boxes that we prepared (69,910 meals). Food items not distributed today will be donated or if possible saved for distribution next week,” said Melissa Laramie, a spokesperson for Kent School District.
“This week, it was a little bit more effective and successful,” said Kim Wells, PTA President for Horizon Elementary. "The process today at the district office went so smoothly. We were out in like five minutes with our cars loaded.
In a statement, the Kent School district says it has served 168,000 meals total since closures began in mid-March.