Pottsgrove Schools Food Distribution Set for Monday

Photo shamelessly filched from Joe Zlomek and the Sanatoga Post

Cars line up at Lower Pottsgrove Elementary School to receive a week's worth of school breakfast/lunch packages from the Pottsgrove School District.

Blogger's Note: The following is an update about Monday's food distribution to Pottsgrove School District families.

Dear Pottsgrove Families,

After providing over 10,000 meals to Pottsgrove families last week, we are preparing for our breakfast and lunch distribution for the Week of March 30^th.

The pick-up sites will remain the same at both West Pottsgrove and Lower Pottsgrove Elementary Schools. 

Pick-up at Lower Pottsgrove Elementary School will take place along the lower Portico off of Buchert Road. 

And at West Pottsgrove Elementary School, distribution will take place along the driveway near the main office of the school.  

            HIGHLIGHTS OF OUR DISTRIBUTION PROGRAM:

·         Breakfast/Lunch packages will include (5) days of food. 

·         Monday, March 30th will be the ONLY pick-up day for the week.

·         Times for distribution will now be 10:00 am to 12:00 pm.

We appreciate all the feedback and we will continue to work together to strengthen our community     through this important quality of life program for our families.

Sincerely,

William R. Shirk, Jr., Ed. D.

Superintendent of Schools

Pottsgrove's Pupil Services Director Earns Doctorate

Kate Pacitto

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by the Pottsgrove School District.

Kate Pacitto, Director of Pupil Services for the Pottsgrove School District was recently awarded her Doctorate from Immaculata University.

Her dissertation titled, “Content Area Specialization at the Elementary Level” was successfully defended on March 25.

Pacitto, a 1998 graduate of Pottstown High School matriculated to University of Delaware, where she earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood and Special Education in 2002. 

In 2004, she completed her Master’s Degree in Counseling and Educational Psychology from West Chester University.

Pacitto has earned her Principals Certification, Supervisor of Special Education, as well as her Superintendent Letter of Eligibility all from Immaculata University.

Prior to coming to Pottsgrove, Kate served as a kindergarten teacher in Delaware as well as serving as a secondary school counselor at Collegium Charter School in Exton for eight years.

She was named the Director of Student Services at Collegium prior to joining Pottsgrove School District in 2015 as Supervisor of Special Education.

Pacitto resides in Phoenixville with her husband, Dan and her two boys.

Uptown Flavors Gave Pottstown Kids Free Lunches

Photo by Evan Brandt

Uptown Flavors owner Zahmere Trott, left, and chef Pierre Newton with prepared lunches the restaurant has been giving away free to school children in the past few days.

Zahmere Trott says he "grew up in public housing and there were not too many people feeding us."

Now the owner of Uptown Flavors, a soul food restaurant that opened on South Keim Street nine months ago, Trott said he knew as soon as Gov. Wolf announced the closure of public schools to stem the spread of coronavirus, that some Pottstown kids would go hungry.

Photo by Evan Brandt

Uptown Flavors owner Zahmere Trott and cook Pierre Newton

behind the counter at the South Keim Street restaurant.

"I know a lot of them really depend on those meals in school and a lot of their families can't afford to suddenly start providing that extra meal," said Trott.

He couldn't afford it for long either, but he did his part in the first couple of days until the school district was able to get its food distribution up and running. Some donations helped.

Kids got chicken breast, rice and string beans.

In just two days, Uptown Flavors provided free lunches for 216 children, not counting the ones he served yesterday. He got some help from the folks at Donut NV, which donated 75 bags of food to the effort.

"We actually were talking about it when we saw that Rocky was doing the same thing over at Little Italy and we said, 'let's do that too,'" Trott said.

Right now, Trott says, he is looking for partners to get the effort up and running again.

In the meantime, his restaurant is open for take-out.

Like so many local Pottstown restaurants, the coronavirus-driven shut-down of dining has hit them hard. But you you can order from Uptown Flavors and head in for a pickup. The menu can be found online on Facebook.

Support local businesses that are supporting our community.

Pottstown Schools to Provide Free Food Wednesday

Blogger's Note: The following was posted by the Pottstown School District and the Ricketts Center. 

Free food distribution will again be held Wednesday but the time has changed to 3 to 6 p.m.

That and other changes are being made to increase safety and hopefully increase the number of families that can participate:

• Pick up hours at each elementary school will be from 3 PM to 6 PM
• Clear directions will be given at each site so that when families pick up food, they can do so in an organized fashion with no one touching food products. Products will be straight from the food distribution box to limit any touching. The family member picking up food will simply take the items as per the directions. Bags will be provided.
• Remember to take items for each student in your household. We continue to operate on the honor system. No questions asked.
• In case of rain, there will be a canopy at each location.
• There will be a chalk line 6 feet from both sides of food tables and volunteers will be limited behind the lines except to replenish food boxes.
• Certain companies have reached out to donate food items which we will make available at each site. This is above and beyond the school lunch programs and families are encouraged to take extra.

Rickets to Also Provide Meals

The Ricketts Community Center posted the following on its Facebook page:

The Ricketts Center will be serving boxed meals to students, ages 6 to 18 years, starting Wednesday, March 25. Students will able to get a boxed breakfast and Lunch anywhere between 9 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.

Meals are on a first come, first serve basis but we will try to ensure we can provide for as many that are in need. Just follow the posted signs outside to receive meals.

Pottsgrove Schools Food Distribution is Monday

Last week, with schools closed due to the corona virus update, Pottsgrove School District worked through the kinks of delivering free breakfast and lunch to students who need it.

By the end of the week, 3,200 meals were provided.

But the district has moved away from providing the food every day and has instead moved to a once-a-week delivery of food for five days and this week, it happens on Monday, March 23.

Pottsgrove Superintendent William Shirk

In a letter distributed to parents, Pottsgrove Schools Superintendent William Shirk wrote, "we have

again made a few changes to help our delivery system for the week of March 23."

"Beginning, Monday, March 23, we will again be providing a combined breakfast and lunch package for all Pottsgrove students 18 and under. The pick-up sites will remain the same at both West Pottsgrove and Lower Pottsgrove Elementary Schools," he wrote

"Pick-up at Lower Pottsgrove Elementary School will take place along the lower portico off of Buchert Road. And at West Pottsgrove Elementary School, distribution will take place along the driveway near the main office of the school," according to Shirk.

CHANGES FOR DISTRIBUTION WILL BE:

• Breakfast/Lunch packages will include (5) days of food.
• Monday, March 23 will be the ONLY pick-up day for the week.
• Times for distribution will now be 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

"The changes were part of the recommendations from our local authorities to help limit exposure to our families, as well as members of our staff. The time change will give our food vendor, Chartwells K12 additional time to prepare the meals and make sure they can accommodate the volume," Shirk wrote.

He added, "we appreciate all the feedback and we will continue to work together to strengthen our community through this important quality of life program for our families."