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The Plan B for feeding food-insecure students in the Arkansas River Valley reduces normal contact. \u201cWe have a skeleton crew of nine,\u201d Selman explained. The temperatures of the crew are checked before they\u2019re allowed to work in the kitchen. \u201cYou pull up, with your car windows up, and you flash your headlights for the number of meals. The volunteer puts out the meals on a table and goes away. No contact. They can then leave with an extra dinner meal. They\u2019re not hot meals, so they\u2019re still good at dinnertime.\u201d Meals are distributed at Dardanelle and Russellville Monday through Friday, and on Sundays in Russellville. Any leftovers are offered to residents in area low-income housing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSome [area students] don\u2019t have adult supervision, or internet, or a computer,\u201d Selman noted, so the meals don\u2019t require the child to cook, or even microwave. The meals also contain activity packs for students: \u201cIt will be something like, \u2018Ten ways to make a paper airplane,\u2019 positive activity. We\u2019re here to stand in the gap. That\u2019s how we\u2019re doing this right now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Back in Stuttgart, Kirby has academic concerns for students this semester as well as concerns about their food insecurity. It was announced April 6 announcement that Arkansas schools will remain closed for the remainder of the year, with classes being conducted online. But people, especially in rural areas of the state, have lagged in online access for years. And there\u2019s another rub for PCCC-UA students who take courses online, according to Kirby: \u201cWith our students being majority nontraditional and first-generation college, it\u2019s more difficult for them; they tend to do better with face-to-face.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Classes or no, Kirby would like to get the campus food bank open for distribution to students again. Food insecure students are by definition struggling with issues more pressing than their G.P.A.s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019re trying to figure out how to do it,\u201d Kirby said. \u201cIt\u2019s so unknown how it\u2019s going to play out; it\u2019s hard to prepare for.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n