Ceres Unified School District's Child Nutrition Department is offering free meals to kids and teens aged 18 and under at elementary, junior high and high school locations.

“We’re very excited to be able to do this,” said CUSD Communications Specialist Beth Jimenez. “As you know, this is a very difficult time for families, especially financially, (due to the COVID-19 pandemic).”

“With school’s having distance learning, there are kids at home who can’t get meals because their parents are at work,” Director of Child Nutrition Rhonda Whitehead said. “We want to feed everybody.”

Breakfast and lunch can be picked up Monday through Friday, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., at all school sites excluding Argus, Whitmore Charter, La Rosa, Hidahl and Patricia K. Beaver.

Students don't have to be enrolled in CUSD or be present during pickup to receive free meals.

“It doesn’t matter if they go to school with us or not,” Jimenez said. “We will feed them. There’s no ID required.”

Locations for meal pick up:

• Adkison Elementary – 1824 Nadine Avenue;

• Carroll Fowler Elementary – 2611 Garrison Street;

• Caswell Elementary –  1800 N. Central Avenue;

• Don Pedro Elementary – 2300 E. Don Pedro Road;

• Lucas Elementary – 3500 Rose Avenue;

• Sam Vaughn Elementary – 3618 Helen Perry Road;

• Sinclear Elementary – 1211 Hackett Road;

• Virginia Parks Elementary – 1021 Moffett Road;

• Walter White Elementary – 2904 Sixth Street;

• Westport Elementary – 5218 S. Carpenter Road;

• Blaker-Kinser Jr. High – 1601 Kinser Road;

• Cesar Chavez Jr. High – 2701 Eastgate Blvd.;

• Mae Hensley Jr. High – 1806 Moffett Road;

• Central Valley High School – 4033 S. Central Ave.;

• Ceres High School – 2320 Central Ave.