King Philip Director of Health Innovations Mary Kate Bergen and Hockomock Y Volunteer Kayla Dunn at a recent meals drop-off. (Photo courtesy King Philip Regional School District) 
Hockomock Y Volunteer Kayla Dunn hands out a meals bag at a recent drop-off event. (Photo courtesy King Philip Regional School District)
WRENTHAM — Superintendent Paul Zinni and the King Philip Regional School District would like to thank and recognize the Hockomock Y and district staff who ensured all students received school lunches while the Food Services team were required to quarantine after coming into contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19.
Upon learning that she and her staff would have to quarantine, King Philip Food Services Director, Mary Ann Reynolds contacted Linda King, Food Services Director for Norfolk Public Schools and Maura Crowley, Food Services Director for Wrentham and Plainville Public Schools, to arrange for school lunches to arrive at the middle school and high school on the next day. School district administrators, building administrators and the staff of the technology department were quick to volunteer to serve meals for the four lunch periods at both schools.
Director of Wellness Dot Pearl and Hockomock Y Director of Health Innovations Mary Kate Bergen created a plan together to provide meals through Revolution Foods from Wednesday, Oct. 21 to Friday, Oct. 30. Director Reynolds continued her work remotely by providing food counts, special dietary information and advice each day. The district provides a remote distribution of meals on Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 4-5 p.m. On the first day of Wednesday distribution, Director Pearl, Director Bergen, King Philip Regional High School Assistant Principal Kip Lewis, King Philip Regional High School Secretaries April Sloan and Corey Flynn, packaged and distributed meals curbside.
For the remaining days, school lunch meals arrived from Revolution Foods. Those who served meals at the middle and high schools included: YMCA Director of Health Innovations Bergen, Hockomock Y staff, Senior Director of Health Innovations Caitlin Gibbs, Healthy Food Access Coordinator Shannon Nisbett, Y Volunteer Kayla Dunn, Y staff member Katie Friberg, King Philip Director of Student Services Lisa Moy, Assistant Superintendent Susan Gilson and Director of Wellness Dot Pearl.
King Philip Regional School District would also like to recognize all those who helped to pack food for the second remote distribution on Wednesday, Oct. 28. The team included Superintendent Paul Zinni, Assistant Superintendent Gilson, Director Moy, Business Manager Larry Azar, King Philip High School Principal Lisa Mobley, Director Pearl, Chief Operating Officer of the Hockomock Y Jim Downs, Director Bergen, Executive Vice President of Child Care Services Kim Jennings, and Y Volunteer Kayla Dunn.
“All of us at King Philip Regional School District are thankful for all the staff, faculty and administrators who volunteered their time to make sure that all our students, both hybrid and remote, got meals,” Superintendent Zinni said. “It really proves how committed staff, faculty and the community are to our students. This was an extremely proud moment for the King Philip School District and we are very grateful to all those who made this entire process so seamless.”
The King Philip Regional School District is grateful to Director of Health Innovations Bergen and the Hockomock Y for their support to ensure students have access to healthy school meals. The support of Joe Zahner, Director of Facilities, and his building-based crews to assist when needed is also appreciated. Finally, The district would also like to extend a thank-you to Director Pearl, who worked with district administrators and the staff at the Hockomock Y to organize meal distribution.
“As a community organization committed to ensuring access to healthy food, we were honored to assist the King Philip Regional School District administrative team with food service for in-person, remote, and hybrid students,” Director Bergen said. “This was a true collaborative effort through which we served 924 breakfasts and 1,894 lunches. Our YMCA works best alongside community partners – and we deeply value our partnership with the KP Regional School District.”
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