MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. — As the pandemic continues, adapting to virtual learning is not the only concern. Some parents also worry about putting food on the table.
Margaret Norris started teaching 33 years ago and said this year looks very different than any other as they begin the school year virtually.
"I always tell my students, our number one job is to keep you safe. As this pandemic has gone on and on and on, that job has switched from keeping you safe to keep you fed and safe," said Norris.
Every week, Norris helps fill enough bags to feed between 100 and 150 families at her school. She started doing this back in mid-March when the pandemic started.
"We knew right away that we had to help," said Norris. "The county does a great job of providing breakfast and lunch, and we wanted food for families."
"We wanted food that the adults in the family could cook a meal. We wanted them to eat together and provide a steady source of food so the children would not be afraid there would not be food to eat," Norris added.
During the pandemic, Montgomery County Public Schools started providing curbside meals at 74 different locations across the country.
"There’s a satellite school bus, there are lunches and breakfast at the school itself that the families can pick up, but we wanted to move beyond that," said Norris.
"Food is such an important communal part, it’s such an important cultural piece to all families. We did not want to have our children only eating the prepackaged pre-done and decided by somebody else," said Norris.
"Kids have to eat and they have to eat every single day. You cannot explain to a five-year-old, 'Honey, there’s no food, we don’t have money for food, we have to wait.' They don’t understand that," said Norris.
Norris said they wanted to provide an additional resource and give meals that can be assembled by families. She started filling the bags with beans, rice, canned tomatoes and vegetables.
"As a teacher, I want them well fed. I don’t want them just eating from convenient stores all the time, we want their brains nourished. We want them to grow properly. We want them to be happy," said Norris.
Norris said it has been inspiring to see the community support.
"This idea that there are people out there that are just taking, that’s not the reality. Families are in need, and they don’t want to be and they don’t want to ask for help but they also don’t want their children to be hungry so it’s a very difficult situation for everybody," said Norris.
"I’m not giving you food because you need a handout, we are in this together," said Norris.
If you want to help, there are many official organizations in the community including Manna Food Center and Capital Area Food Bank.
