FOOD Alabama School Districts Hit With Food Shortage, Warn Of Remote School Days

Blacknarwhal

Blacknarwhal

Let's Go Brandon!
Well, apparently even the schools are running into grocery problems....

Fair use cited so on and so forth.

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Alabama School Districts Hit With Food Shortage, Warn Of Remote School Days

by Tyler Durden
Friday, Oct 15, 2021 - 08:10 PM

A school district just north of Montgomery, Alabama, informed parents in a Facebook post that their food vendors are experiencing "supply chain issues" that have led to no food deliveries, and some area schools might not be able to feed kids, according to The Birmingham News.

Alexander City Schools urged parents to feed their children before school or bring snacks due to the lack of food at schools.
"As you know, breakfast and lunch is served daily in our schools. In previous weeks we have not received our food deliveries due to suppliers who are short on supplies, drivers and even warehouse employees," school officials said in a Facebook post on Saturday.
"Breakfast may be impacted more so than lunch in the coming weeks. If possible, we ask that you feed your student breakfast prior to school or try to send a snack," the officials continued.
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Alexander is experiencing various challenges that stretch from farm to cafeteria table. Food and labor shortages impact everything from food production to transportation to even serving up meals at schools.

Alexander is not an isolated issue. School districts across the state are facing similar shortages to varying degrees.

Dothan City Schools, located in the state's southeastern corner, have already notified parents of the possibility that remote school days are possible. The school system must close schools to rebuild depleted inventories of food.
"As a last resort, we may also ask that you prepare to have virtual/remote school days a few days out of the week to alleviate the stress of our food supplies," the district told parents on Sept. 23."We face a situation where we must do everything we can to continue providing a nurturing environment for our students to learn and grow."
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Snarled supply chains have upended other school districts across the country, including ones in Wisconsin and Indiana.

The problem appears to worsen over the last month as some schools are preparing to close down and return to remote learning for other reasons than the pandemic.
 
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h_oder

h_oder

Veteran Member
DD2 works at the local Dairy Queen. There are days/times when they are out of chicken strips, strawberries or chocolate sauce - because their distributor can't get it...
 
pymaf

pymaf

Senior Member
my daughter works at a grocery store as a stocker and she says fewer trucks have been showing up and they have areas where they try to hide how low the items are and sometimes they have no choice but have empty shelves
 
Hermantribe

Hermantribe

Veteran Member
My son is night crew at a local grocery store. They have had some issues, but not bad. They may not get the tomato soup that was ordered so they double up on a different variety and re order. It’s not really too bad. The worst shortages are brought by vendors like Coke and Pepsi.
my SIL is a programmer at a large company that provides food to school districts. He hasn’t heard about any shortages in So Cal.
 
M

Mary Contrary

Inactive
pymaf said:
my daughter works at a grocery store as a stocker and she says fewer trucks have been showing up and they have areas where they try to hide how low the items are and sometimes they have no choice but have empty shelves
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I went into the Rite Aid store Fri to get my melatonin and yep some bare shelves. A good amount of the boxes and bottles were pushed in front and nothing behind them. Also some empty shelves. I guess this is what communism is huh? Damn.
 
pauldingbabe

pauldingbabe

The Great Cat
There are many small convenience stores and a few dairy queens that have had to have limits put on how much they can buy in a day at my DH store. Mostly dairy products.

The stores said that DH store is cheaper and more reliable than the franchise distributer/warehouse.
 
jward

jward

passin' thru
We've had districts running into trouble sourcing and acquiring food as well. I feel for the folks behind the scenes, they must be making herculean efforts trying to sort this mess, and having as many sleepless nights as I am. Wonder what the real stampede will look like when the nation comes clean with the message (or it gets out, rather) that we cannot feed our children. These will definitely be the halcyon days eh? :(

..even my fav Mexican restaurant was out of my chicken chimichangas due to supply issues tonight : (
 
Lilbitsnana

Lilbitsnana

On TB every waking moment
ha, the Mt Dew/Pepsi shortage (real or manipulated) started in my county/AO right after Trump was elected. Even the delivery guy commented on it, especially since we have more than one bottling company in Alabama.

The other shortages started when covid had started in China (even before it was made known) and while the local stores in my immediate AO had gotten better supplied, we have never made it back to normal.
 
greysage

greysage

On The Level
I seem to recall the burden of carrying my lunch to school. Was my lunchbox cool enough, or did I outgrow it? When I was in to brown bagging, how to keep my sandwich from being squished or fruit being bruised. I recall trying to bring soups in thermoses that would often leak. Cutting slices of cheddar cheese for Triscuits. Was packing my own lunch in 5th and 6th grade. Parents were divorced too. Don't know why these school children can't bring their own lunch nowadays instead of closing school down.
 
F

fish hook

Deceased
A lar
greysage said:
I seem to recall the burden of carrying my lunch to school. Was my lunchbox cool enough, or did I outgrow it? When I was in to brown bagging, how to keep my sandwich from being squished or fruit being bruised. I recall trying to bring soups in thermoses that would often leak. Cutting slices of cheddar cheese for Triscuits. Was packing my own lunch in 5th and 6th grade. Parents were divorced too. Don't know why these school children can't bring their own lunch nowadays instead of closing school down.
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A large portion of the kids now eat at least 2 meals at school, and many times all the food they get is at school. We have taught the parents that it is the schools responsibility to feed their children.
 
Bps1691

Bps1691

Veteran Member
The closest IGA to us seems to be getting lots of trucks lately (at least three per week) and the store is packed to the gills. Lots of brands I've never seen in there before. Prices much higher but there is food.

The Wal Mart superstore I pick up orders from is a different story. Always short two or three things on my order every two weeks. Paper products have buying limits and they have a devil of a time keeping the big packs of Charmin. Been several other things that they haven't had for weeks.
 
M

Martinhouse

Deceased
My dad was born in 1918 so he was old enough to see what was going on at his school. He said a lot of the poorest kids would bring a lard sandwich to school every day, and maybe a big pickle. He figured it was the pickle that provided enough nutrients to keep those kids alive. His own family was better off than that, but not by much. This was in a tiny town in SW Oklahoma. Grandpap ran a hardware store but it failed before the Depression ended, with many, many accounts never paid up. Some of the farmers would bring him food to pay. Dad said sometimes his mom would make pancakes but there was never any syrup. (maybe they used sorghum?)

My mom was five or six years younger than Dad, but she remembers having oatmeal with no butter or sugar every morning before school. She would go home for lunch and all they had most of the time for lunch and supper was elbow macaroni with canned tomatoes mixed into it.

I don't think obesity was much of a problem during the Depression!
 
Sleeping Cobra

Sleeping Cobra

TB Fanatic
Hermantribe said:
My son is night crew at a local grocery store. They have had some issues, but not bad. They may not get the tomato soup that was ordered so they double up on a different variety and re order. It’s not really too bad. The worst shortages are brought by vendors like Coke and Pepsi.
my SIL is a programmer at a large company that provides food to school districts. He hasn’t heard about any shortages in So Cal.
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I saw a video that mentioned that there is an aluminum can shortage. Not sure if true but wouldn't be surprised. Hence the shortage of Coke & Pepsi.
 
psychgirl

psychgirl

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Martinhouse said:
My dad was born in 1918 so he was old enough to see what was going on at his school. He said a lot of the poorest kids would bring a lard sandwich to school every day, and maybe a big pickle. He figured it was the pickle that provided enough nutrients to keep those kids alive. His own family was better off than that, but not by much. This was in a tiny town in SW Oklahoma. Grandpap ran a hardware store but it failed before the Depression ended, with many, many accounts never paid up. Some of the farmers would bring him food to pay. Dad said sometimes his mom would make pancakes but there was never any syrup. (maybe they used sorghum?)

My mom was five or six years younger than Dad, but she remembers having oatmeal with no butter or sugar every morning before school. She would go home for lunch and all they had most of the time for lunch and supper was elbow macaroni with canned tomatoes mixed into it.

I don't think obesity was much of a problem during the Depression!
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My grandpa told the same stories about lard sandwiches but he said worse than were those that only had an onion sandwich

My dad handed down the stories as I was too little to hear them from grandpa, myself.
But they were told. I can’t imagine having only lard or onions to eat.
They had dirt floors for a time, as well. :(
 
M

Martinhouse

Deceased
Psychgirl, Yes, I remember my dad mentioning the onions in some of the sandwiches, too! I'm just now thinking he may have said some brought boiled potatoes.

Actually, I think there may have been some decent, if scant, nutrition in those poor lunches. Lots better than just a piece or two of plain bread!
 
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Blacknarwhal

Blacknarwhal

Let's Go Brandon!
Martinhouse said:
Some of the farmers would bring him food to pay. Dad said sometimes his mom would make pancakes but there was never any syrup. (maybe they used sorghum?)
Click to expand...

Sorghum is a possibility. Honey as well. Jams or jellies are frequently used as well. Most of us immediately think maple syrup when we think pancakes but pancakes have a lot of potential toppings.
 
M

Martinhouse

Deceased
Blacknarwhal, when my dad was a boy, there was no money for honey, nor for fruit and sugar for jams and jellies. They had a milk goat at one time, but they lived right in town and a garden would have been tiny if they had one at all.
 
ohiohippie

ohiohippie

Veteran Member
WalknTrot said:
What in THEEEE hell...close the school because they can't stock the kitchen?
Feed your damned kids breakfast EVERY morning, and send them off with a sandwich and an apple.

Problem solved.
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My gramma was a farm girl. She carried a baked potato to school to keep her hands warm walking.
I rarely ate a school lunch.
It was packed.
Toast for breakfast.
Peanut butter or bologna for lunch.
A good supper.
I went to a good school district. This was the norm.
Peanut butter never hurt anyone that I know of.
 
Meemur

Meemur

Voice on the Prairie / FJB!
I brown bagged it all through school, primarily PB&J's, a piece of fruit (mostly apples), and homemade cookies or popcorn. Pints of milk were a nickel, later a dime. Later, I took my own coffee or tea in a thermos.

I can remember only buying a school lunch a handful of times, when there were special meals. We had some handmade calzones and some other treats from the Italian ladies. Our lunches weren't as bad as some, but I'd get sick from some of the fish and "mystery" meat stews.

Also, lunch period was short! I wanted to spend the time eating and talking with my friends, not standing in long lines, so it make sense to take my own lunch. I know now that it was idiotic to schedule six 30-minute lunch periods since they didn't have enough cafeteria space for all of us in junior high. We had 50-minute lunch periods in high school. That was a lot better.
 
Mprepared

Mprepared

Veteran Member
Martinhouse said:
My dad was born in 1918 so he was old enough to see what was going on at his school. He said a lot of the poorest kids would bring a lard sandwich to school every day, and maybe a big pickle. He figured it was the pickle that provided enough nutrients to keep those kids alive. His own family was better off than that, but not by much. This was in a tiny town in SW Oklahoma. Grandpap ran a hardware store but it failed before the Depression ended, with many, many accounts never paid up. Some of the farmers would bring him food to pay. Dad said sometimes his mom would make pancakes but there was never any syrup. (maybe they used sorghum?)

My mom was five or six years younger than Dad, but she remembers having oatmeal with no butter or sugar every morning before school. She would go home for lunch and all they had most of the time for lunch and supper was elbow macaroni with canned tomatoes mixed into it.

I don't think obesity was much of a problem during the Depression!
Click to expand...

My dad was born in 1910 and my mother 1915. Both of them were born and raised in Oklahoma. They had totally different stories. My dad was always talking of hunting and not much money. My dad and granddad hunted rabbits and took sacks of rabbits to the orphanage there. He had a job sweeping a warehouse and not sure if it was a dime a day or dime an hour. He broke his foot and after it healed he went to Florida and he said it was like there was no Depression there because you saw a lot of money. My mother's family had chickens, a garden, and a cow. My mother never talked of any hardships other than rationing and being careful and not wasting things. She got a job and lied about her age. I am not sure if she was 16 and said 18 or she was 14 and said she was 16. She had a ring with her birthstone in it and she told me she bought that with her first job, so they were not that hard up. Neither one ever talked about going without food.
 
Mprepared

Mprepared

Veteran Member
I guess we ate like kings and queens at my house. Before school my mother who was BLIND cooked eggs, bacon, toast and fresh squeezed orange juice or a meal of grits and cinnamon toast or we had oatmeal and toast and bacon, always big breakfast. We either took sacked lunches or lunch in my Roy Rogers metal lunchbox LOL. We had a sandwich and fruit, chips or cookies, bought milk and had a choice chocolate or plain. I went to a Catholic grade school and sometimes it was school lunches. The first grade would have been 1961 or 1962 and we had huge lunches, main course, side dishes, fruit, dessert and milk. My mother got recipes from the school when we would come home telling her how good lunch was. Later we moved to Colorado and I remember mostly sacked lunch, but in high school they had just build a huge fancy school with a swimming pool and huge lunch room. I remember not having a lot of money and being careful what I bought. I usually had a tuna fish sandwich and milk and when I went home always my mother had something for a snack. She had always an Amish starter and made different sweet breads. The starter was called Herman or she made cookies or pie. I think having a mother who cooked helped and who did not work, but being blind and all she did, I think she was amazing.
 
Blacknarwhal

Blacknarwhal

Let's Go Brandon!
Mom always said she'd make anything I liked for breakfast on school mornings. She cooked for me and my grandpa--who lived with us at the time--every morning, and she worked too.

I was a creature of habit, though, and asked for the same thing. Two slices of toast with butter, a bowl of cereal, and a glass of milk. At the time, Oatmeal Raisin Crisp was available in stores, and I loved the stuff. About the only real deviation from that would come if Dad had had grapefruit that morning. He'd leave me half. Dad made grapefruit just right: by covering it in sugar. It being grapefruit, you kind of had to, but it was still tasty. Even the juice was sweet.

It used to infuriate Mom a bit. She had no idea how I could eat cereal dry. I always said I enjoyed the crunch. Still though; it was always good to get up to the same breakfast every morning for years.
 
Blacknarwhal

Blacknarwhal

Let's Go Brandon!
Martinhouse said:
Blacknarwhal, when my dad was a boy, there was no money for honey, nor for fruit and sugar for jams and jellies. They had a milk goat at one time, but they lived right in town and a garden would have been tiny if they had one at all.
Click to expand...

Ah, you lived in town. I would have asked, were there no fruit trees around? But there wouldn't be, in town.
 
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