Rural Ohio School Emergency Meal Distribution Plans in Response to COVID-19

2nd place in Social Sciences at 2023 Undergraduate Research ForumDuring the COVID-19 pandemic, rural schools in Ohio were not prepared to face the issue of food insecurity of students within their districts. The purpose of this descriptive research study was to assess rural Ohio schools' COVID-19 pandemic response in relation to emergency meal distribution and understand SES status of families in rural Ohio. A Qualtrics questionnaire of closed- and open-ended questions addressed the research objectives surrounding the following areas; (1) describe school meals provided pre-COVID and post-COVID, (2) describe schools emergency meal distribution plan, and (3) describe the average SES status of family household level. To answer the research questions, we collected and analyzed data surrounding self-reported measures of meals provided by schools, how often they were provided and the average income of families in rural Ohio by administrators (n = 15). Participates reported an increase in meals provided (n = 13) after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic as compared to before March 2020 (n = 11). Meal delivery methods varied among participants from meal pick up at school (n = 4) or community building (n = 1) to delivery to students' homes (n = 1) to both pick and delivery options (n = 2). Most schools reported an SES status of the middle class or lower among families within their school district. Findings suggest that schools during the COVID-19 pandemic increased the frequency of meals provided as compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic. After the end of the 2020 school year, the frequency of meals decreased compared to the emergency response between March 2020 and the end of summer 2020. Furthermore, many of the schools increased the types of meals distributed (breakfast, lunch, and snacks) frequency of distribution, and methods of distribution to families. Recommendations for rural Ohio schools include evaluating their current emergency food distribution system and consulting experts to prepare for future emergencies. Recommendations for future research include qualitative methods to explore why the school chose specific meal distribution methods. Lastly, future research should explore the status of meal distribution plans of schools in rural Ohio to prepare proactively rather than reactively.No embargoAcademic Major: Agriscience Educatio