A popular and much-needed program that provides free breakfast and lunch meals to children 18 and under in Dougherty County will resume Monday, April 13th, Dougherty County School System officials say. 

The program was temporarily stopped after a School Nutrition Services (SNS) employee tested positive for COVID-19, and the Centers for Disease Control revised its guidance, now recommending the use of masks or face coverings when in public.

“Suspending the program was a gut-wrenching decision, but one we had to make to ensure the safety of our employees.” Superintendent Kenneth Dyer said. “Now that we’ve secured the needed personal protective equipment for our employees, we are delighted to announce that we’ll be starting the program back up on Monday.”

Prior to the suspension, the program had served more than 162,000 meals to children in Dougherty County. 

Meals are prepared by the district’s SNS staff who then load them onto buses. The SNS and Transportation staff then deliver the meals to recipients along a predetermined set of routes that criss-cross the county.