Home > FAQs: Weekly Meal Delivery for Students During Remote Learning

FAQs: Weekly Meal Delivery for Students During Remote Learning

To provide all our students with meals while Creative Minds is on a remote-learning schedule, we’re partnering with Top Spanish to offer a weekly home delivery of seven breakfasts and seven lunches.

Eligibility

Who is eligible for the meal-delivery program?
All Creative Minds students and other children in their households are eligible for meal delivery. Children must be younger than 18, though they do not need to attend our school or be related to a Creative Minds student to receive meals.

I have other children who do not attend Creative Minds. Can I sign them up for meal delivery?
Yes, as long as the children are younger than 18, they are eligible to receive meals. Children do not need to be related to Creative Minds students, but they must reside in your household.

Can I participate if my family is homeless?
Yes, you can. Please contact Heather Hesslink at heather.hesslink@creativemindspcs.org or 202-588-0370 ext. 112 for more information. Conversations will be kept in confidence.

Enrollment

If I am already receiving weekly meal deliveries, and I do not want to add additional children, do I have to sign up again?
No, if you’re already enrolled in our meals program, you will continue to receive weekly deliveries. Instead of receiving five breakfasts and five lunches for each child who is registered, you will receive seven of each meal.

If my child is already enrolled in the meals program, can I now register the other children who live in my household?
Yes, you may register additional children, younger than 18. See the next question for registration instructions.

How can my child participate in the weekly meal-delivery program?
To participate in the program, you must enroll in one of these ways:

Fill out and submit our online enrollment form in English or in Spanish.
Email Heather Hesslink at heather.hesslink@creativemindspcs.org.
Send a text message to Heather Hesslink at (301) 919-1318.

If you sign up by email or text message, please provide this information:

Your first and last name
Daytime phone number
Your email address (if you have one)
Address you want your food delivered to
Names of the Creative Minds students you’re enrolling

Is there a deadline for enrolling in the meals program or registering additional children?
There’s no deadline for enrolling. You may sign up at any time, while the program is in progress. Currently, the program will run through summer 2021.

Enrolling for the first time: sign up by 2:00 p.m. on a Thursday to receive the next week’s delivery.

Registering additional children: sign up by 2:00 p.m. on a Thursday to receive meals for those children in the next week’s delivery.

Will the information I give you be shared beyond Creative Minds?
Only your address and phone number, which are essential to making a home delivery, will be shared with Top Spanish, our food-distribution partner. All other information will be kept in confidence.

Cost

What is the cost of the new meal-delivery program?
Breakfast and lunch are free for all families, whether or not they qualify for free and reduced-price meals. There is no cost for meals or for delivery.

I signed up to pay for delivered lunch in September. Will I continue to be charged?
No, now that meals are free for all families, you will not be charged for lunch.

Logistics

How does the meal-delivery program work?
Each Wednesday, students who are enrolled in the meals program will receive a contactless delivery of seven breakfasts and seven lunches from Top Spanish, our program partner.

What if my child lives in another household part time—can he or she receive meals at this other address?
We can change your delivery address from one week to the next if your child moves between households—for example, from the apartment of one parent to the apartment of another. The only requirement is that both households be in Washington, DC. We’re unable to deliver meals to addresses in Maryland, Virginia, or anywhere else outside DC.

If I sign up for meal delivery, can I change my mind and opt out?
Yes, to discontinue home delivery, email frontdesk@creativemindspcs.org.

Food

Where can I find a menu?
Menus are posted each month to the Nutrition & Wellness page on our website.

Can Top Spanish accommodate my child who has a food allergy or who doesn’t eat certain foods for another reason?
Top Spanish can provide meals that are lactose free and nut free. It can also provide vegetarian, but not vegan, meals. We’ll do our best to accommodate other food allergies and dietary restrictions, though we may be limited by what’s available in the supply chain.

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