MOULTRIE, Ga. — The Colquitt County School System will begin giving away meals to students on Wednesday. 

The effort is Phase 2 of the system’s Meal Contingency Plan, being implemented after schools closed due to the threat of coronavirus.

The system announced the project in a press release Thursday. Between 1-2 p.m. and 5-6 p.m., all students 18 years and younger can get a ten-meal pack containing five breakfasts and five lunches.

According to the press release, the Multiday Meal Plan was made to cut back on social exposure as recommended by government and health officials.

“By implementing this meal service, it allows students/parents the opportunity to obtain meals for an extended time versus traveling each day to obtain meals,” it read.

Distribution will occur at Willie J. Williams Middle School, located at 950 Fourth Street S.W., toward the back of the school bus loop. 

The student must be present and can only receive their food allotment once on distribution day.

If a family has multiple students, each student will receive a ten-meal package. Superintendent Doug Howell said they won’t need anything to verify their student status, however.

“This is an emergency crisis situation and we don’t have to check names against rosters or anything like that,” he said. “As long as there’s a student in the car, we’ll give them the food.”

These meals will not be hot.

Howell said he expects a large outcome during Phase 2’s distribution considering such a large crowd came to the first day of Phase 1’s distribution. 

With the schools being closed until at least March 31, CCSS ended up with a warehouse full of food that’d go uneaten unless distributed.

Phase 1 saw CCSS partner with the Colquitt County Food Bank to distribute the schools’ perishable foods in an immediate manner starting Thursday.

According to Howell, they served 291 families.

“It was huge,” he said. “I’m talking about [families] had like three bags of food each.”

These bags were filled with fresh foods, which included items like fruits, vegetables, milk, eggs and bread. Howell said within the first 30-40 minutes of opening on Friday, they’d already served over 100 families.

Phase 1 will continue Monday and Tuesday from 9 a.m. to noon each day. Based on Phase 2’s launch and the need, a similar distribution may occur on a later date, Howell noted.

Asked about an extension of the school closure, Howell said he doesn’t know what to expect, but CCSS will continue to prepare for whatever comes next.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I’m sure the governor and them are working on the situation,” he said. “We’re making preparations for the long haul as best we can depending on our resources and all the things that we’re capable of doing.”