With her hands full of free meals, Heather Morgan prepares to give a family of an APS student meals during a meal pick-up offered through APS. As of this date, APS has distributed more than half a million meals to families in the Aurora Public Schools District. Photo by Philip B. Poston/Sentinel Colorado
  • Brandi Ramirez hands a bag of food through a car window to the family of an APS student, May 1, 2020, at North Middle School. As of this date, APS has distributed more than half a million meals to families in the Aurora Public Schools District. Photo by
    Brandi Ramirez hands a bag of food through a car window to the family of an APS student, May 1, 2020, at North Middle School. As of this date, APS has distributed more than half a million meals to families in the Aurora Public Schools District. Photo by Philip B. Poston/Sentinel Colorado
  • Heather Morgan catches the groove from the speaker hanging from her belt loop at an APS meal pick-up location, May 1, 2020, at North Middle School. As of this date, APS has distributed more than half a million meals to families in the Aurora Public School
    Heather Morgan catches the groove from the speaker hanging from her belt loop at an APS meal pick-up location, May 1, 2020, at North Middle School. As of this date, APS has distributed more than half a million meals to families in the Aurora Public Schools District. Photo by Philip B. Poston/Sentinel Colorado
  • Heather Morgan hands a bag of food through a car window, May 1, 2020, at North Middle School, during an APS meal pick-up. As of this date, APS has distributed more than half a million meals to families in the Aurora Public Schools District. Photo by Phil
    Heather Morgan hands a bag of food through a car window, May 1, 2020, at North Middle School, during an APS meal pick-up. As of this date, APS has distributed more than half a million meals to families in the Aurora Public Schools District. Photo by Philip B. Poston/Sentinel Colorado
  • Heather Morgan, center, grabs meals from a speed rack to give to families of APS students, May 1, 2020 at North Middle School. As of this date, APS has distributed more than half a million meals to families in the Aurora Public Schools District.
    Heather Morgan, center, grabs meals from a speed rack to give to families of APS students, May 1, 2020 at North Middle School. As of this date, APS has distributed more than half a million meals to families in the Aurora Public Schools District. Photo by Philip B. Poston/Sentinel Colorado
  • Susini Reyes passes half gallons of milk through a car window, May 1, 2020 at North Middle School, during a meal pick-up offered by the district. As of this date, APS has distributed more than half a million meals to families in the Aurora Public Schools
    Susini Reyes passes half gallons of milk through a car window, May 1, 2020 at North Middle School, during a meal pick-up offered by the district. As of this date, APS has distributed more than half a million meals to families in the Aurora Public Schools District. Photo by Philip B. Poston/Sentinel Colorado
  • With her hands full of free meals, Heather Morgan prepares to give a family of an APS student meals during a meal pick-up offered through APS. As of this date, APS has distributed more than half a million meals to families in the Aurora Public Schools Dis
    With her hands full of free meals, Heather Morgan prepares to give a family of an APS student meals during a meal pick-up offered through APS. As of this date, APS has distributed more than half a million meals to families in the Aurora Public Schools District. Photo by Philip B. Poston/Sentinel Colorado
  • APS Nutritional Services employees pass food to families of APS students, May 1, 2020, at North Middle School. As of this date, APS has distributed more than half a million meals to families in the Aurora Public Schools District. Photo by Philip B. Posto
    APS Nutritional Services employees pass food to families of APS students, May 1, 2020, at North Middle School. As of this date, APS has distributed more than half a million meals to families in the Aurora Public Schools District. Photo by Philip B. Poston/Sentinel Colorado
  • David Alderson rides a lift with a restock of milk May 1, 2020 at North Middle School during a daily meal pick-up. As of this date, APS has distributed more than half a million meals to families in the Aurora Public Schools District. Photo by Philip B. Po
    David Alderson rides a lift with a restock of milk May 1, 2020 at North Middle School during a daily meal pick-up. As of this date, APS has distributed more than half a million meals to families in the Aurora Public Schools District. Photo by Philip B. Poston/Sentinel Colorado
  • APS Nutritional Service employees get bags ready to fill with food May 1, 2020, at North Middle School, during a daily meal pick-up offered by the school district. As of this date, APS has distributed more than half a million meals to families in the Auro
    APS Nutritional Service employees get bags ready to fill with food May 1, 2020, at North Middle School, during a daily meal pick-up offered by the school district. As of this date, APS has distributed more than half a million meals to families in the Aurora Public Schools District. Photo by Philip B. Poston/Sentinel Colorado
  • Heather Morgan grabs meals from a tall boy container to give to families of APS students, May 1, 2020 at North Middle School. As of this date, APS has distributed more than half a million meals to families in the Aurora Public Schools District. Photo by
    Heather Morgan grabs meals from a speed rack to give to families of APS students, May 1, 2020 at North Middle School. As of this date, APS has distributed more than half a million meals to families in the Aurora Public Schools District. Photo by Philip B. Poston/Sentinel Colorado

AURORA | By Friday, Aurora Public Schools staff will have doled out half-million free meals to Aurorans since schools shuttered in mid-March, according to the district.

APS said in a statement Thursday that its free meal program, which provides free breakfasts, lunches and dinners at locations around Aurora to kids and also adults, will have reached half a million meals served on Friday since March 17. 

APS Nutritional Service employees do the Cha Cha Slide as they get ready to serve the families there to pick up meals offered by the school district. VIDEO BY PHILIP B. POSTON

Meals served to students at school is a crucial source of nutrition for many Aurora families. 

Metro-area school districts stepped up early in the pandemic to set up free meal programs. APS later expanded its free meals to include adults, thanks to philanthropic donations. 

Colorado schools serve up 235,000 lunches every day to students who might otherwise not have access to that meal — amounting to 38.3 million lunches each year throughout the state, according to Stephanie Perez-Castillo, a policy analyst at Colorado Children’s Campaign focused on childhood nutrition issues.  

APS is set through June as far as purchased food is concerned, and they plan on operating with this method until then. The district has submitted a waiver to the Colorado Department of Education for an extension through at least July.
The reason for the waiver is a result of a schedule and program change at the start of July. What would regularly happen is during the summer program those who use the service of free meals have to eat the meals on site, whereas with the current program it is a grab and go system. Eating the meals on site would prove quite difficult as well, given that these meals received contain breakfast, lunch and dinner. The waiver would extend the Emergency Seamless Summer plan currently in place.

See the full list of meal pick-up times and locations online at https://aurorak12.org/2020/03/16/aps-meals/.