Not long after schools closed because of the novel coronavirus COVID-19, local businesses stepped up to make sure kids previously dependent on school meals were taken care of during this pandemic.
Jeff’s Market, courtesy of owner Jeff Thoma and his daughter Kristin Milotte, was one of the first businesses to give back to the community by providing free lunches to kids. Kristin said, “My dad has always been someone who gives back to the Durant and Wilton communities.”
As a grocer in the area for years, he sees that as an important part of his role in the communities. Milotte, as a counselor in the Durant School District, sees how many students benefit from their free or reduced lunch programs and really rely on the school for nutrition. They both had concerns about how these students would get their meals every day. So, they put their heads together and decided to come up with a plan to provide discounted hot lunches, at only $3 apiece so parents could feed their kids for less. They also provided a free option for those families who were further in need.
“Basically we want to ensure that none of the kids in the Durant and Wilton communities go hungry,” stated Milotte. They discussed their plan with her brothers, who run the Blue Grass and West Liberty branches of Jeff’s Market, and they were more than happy to participate.
While they don’t have an official number on how many free lunches they’ve given out, Milotte says, “That it is really taking off.” They are giving out more and more every day and are happy to see the program flourishing like it is. Milotte said, “My dad keeps saying that we need to make sure we get these lunches in the hands of every kid who needs one.”
He also wants to ensure that no one feels uncomfortable asking for one. Thoma said, “Everyone needs a little help from time to time and these times are particularly difficult.”
At this time, Jeff’s is only providing lunches. However, customers can purchase breakfast at The Creamery in Durant via drive through or carryout.
Jeff’s free sack lunches include a sandwich, chips and some kind of fruit. However, the contents of the lunch may change as certain foods are in short supply currently. They also are providing $3 hot lunches to kids who prefer that to sack lunches at The Creamery and Jeff’s Market.
Milotte said that they are experiencing a lot of shortages, much like every other store. They are continuously reordering supplies but many things are just not available.
Milotte stated that The Creamery is currently doing a pretty steady stream of “to-go” orders. She said, “Customers are really appreciating our drive-through window, so they do not even need to leave their car to pick up their meals.” She noted that The Creamery has extended hours and is now open until 8 pm.
This pandemic is already starting to impact many businesses. People seem to be cooking meals at home a lot more, so grocery stores are very busy. “It’s been harder on The Creamery since the dining room had to close,” said Milotte.
On Friday, March 20, the staff was in the process of placing plastic sheeting in front of their meat and deli counters as well as the cashier stations. This is in an effort to protect their employees from the customers to prevent the spread of the virus. Milotte and Thoma said, “We want to do absolutely everything we can to ensure the health and safety of our staff and customers.” This means doing extra cleaning both before the store opens and after it closes, and encouraging employees to wear gloves when handling food and to continue their regular routine of washing hands thoroughly and often.
Starting this past Friday, they put a limit on bread and toilet paper. Customers are allowed only two loaves of bread and two packages of toilet paper.
Thoma noted that he’s had quite a few people who have donated money to keep the program going. “I never intended for people to give me money for this program. That’s not why we are doing it,” he said.
The Durant school donated extra food it had ordered to help out its sack lunch program. The school originally was planning to be a food hub for students, but did not receive approval to do so. Milotte said, “It has really been amazing to see everyone’s generosity. We plan to ensure that any extra funds when this is all over go to feeding the children in the Durant and Wilton communities, whether that is donating it to the free and reduced lunch program at school, milk buddies, or the school snack program for food insecure kids.”
Thoma recently started offering weekend specials for drive through or pick up at The Creamery. Last weekend, he offered prime rib and chicken options. A Facebook post stated he sold out of the prime rib special. Thoma said, “This won’t happen next time.” Folks were offered a ribeye in place of the prime rib. He’s requesting suggestions for specials to offer on the weekends.
Wilton Café and Arty’s Ice Cream and Grill help feed children in Wilton
Sakir “Chili” Alimoski, owner of the Wilton Café and Arty’s Ice Cream and Grill in Wilton is also providing free lunches to Wilton students. While it’s a limited menu at the café, everything for the students is free. Breakfast options include two big doughnuts, a breakfast sandwich of egg and cheese on toast or two pancakes. Limited options from the kids’ menu for lunch consist of a cheeseburger basket, a corn dog with fries or a grilled cheese with fries. Foods available are posted on his Facebook page.
“I did more free meals than paid customers. It felt like for every business meal we had three kids meals. It’s been a great response to this effort,” Alimoski said. “I think people who need it use it, or if don’t need it, but mom and dad work, it doesn’t hurt to come down and grab some.”
Alimoski said he decided to do this to make things easier for parents. Going into this he wasn’t thinking about donations, saying, “Everyone has stepped up to do their part to say ‘he’s not alone’ which is really cool.” Several people have donated money to support his effort. To date, he has not used any of the fund but donors keep donating. Right now his plan is to use all the supplies he already has on hand. He will see where he’s at after the end of the four-week school closure and reassess at that point.
Alimoski noted, “I eventually may have to use the funds to keep going until the end of the school year.” Money he doesn’t use will be put to good use. He opened a new checking account titled, “Kids Eat Free Program” and all the donations he receives go into the account.
He has shortened hours at the Café to be able to keep a full staff. If he has to shut down for any reason, he’ll take care of them, stating, “Do what we can to help them.” He plans to just keep doing what he’s doing, adjusting to carryout orders.
Currently there are no changes at Arty’s Ice Cream and Grill. He had to add staff Saturday nights to help with deliveries. In the future as the pandemic continues, he may consider combining The Café with Arty’s, running limited breakfasts and lunches out of Arty’s. A couple reasons for doing this is to cut down on overhead costs as much as he can and the fact that Arty’s has an actual drive-through window. If he does end up with a combination, he will create a menu and run both from Arty’s. For now though his plan remains to keep both locations open while supplies last.