April break is April 17 through April 24. The PPS Food Service will continue to offer meals at its nine school meal sites each weekday during the break, with the exception of Patriot’s Day, Monday, April 20. The Locker Project also will continue to offer free food bags to families at select school meal sites on Wednesday and Thursday during the break.

PORTLAND, Maine – The Portland Public Schools is maintaining its traditional April break so that everyone can have a respite after the initial push to switch to remote learning during the COVID-19 crisis. However, student hunger never takes a vacation – which is why the district will continue to offer weekday school meals during the break, except for Patriot’s Day, Monday, April 20.

In addition, The Locker Project, a local nonprofit, also will continue to offer free bags of food to families at select school meal sites on Wednesday and Thursday during the break.

The break begins Friday, April 17 and runs through Friday, April 24. Except for that Monday holiday, the district’s Food Service Department will be serving free breakfast and lunch meals each weekday for anyone age 18 and under. Both can be picked up together anytime between 10 a.m. and 12 noon from the bus loops at each participating school. No I.D. is necessary and youngsters do not need to be present or to qualify for free or reduced-price lunch or be PPS students to receive these meals.

To help tide students over the gap in food distribution on Patriot’s Day, two sets of breakfast/lunch meals will be provided on Friday, April 17.

The nine school distribution sites are: Deering High School, East End Community School, King Middle School, Lyman Moore Middle School, Peaks Island Elementary School, Portland High School, Presumpscot Elementary School, Riverton Elementary School and Rowe Elementary School.

The Locker Project offers free food bags from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Wednesdays at Presumpscot, King, Rowe, and East End schools and at the same time on Thursdays at PHS, DHS, Riverton, and Lyman Moore schools. The Locker Project will keep that same schedule during the break.

To learn about additional food options for students and families, go to the Food Resources page on the PPS COVID-19 Information site at: https://www.portlandschools.org/c_o_v_i_d-19/food_distribution_sites

For more information, contact Food Service Director Jane McLucas at [email protected] or 207-874-8231