MEMPHIS, Tenn. — More than 170,000 meals have been provided to Shelby County students during the COVID-19 pandemic in less than a week.
That's thanks to the YMCA, the University of Memphis, and U of M dining partner Chartwells.
A team of 25 Chartwells employees have packed 8,000 to 10,000 meals each day since Saturday. The boxes include ham and cheese or turkey and cheese sandwiches, juice, fruit, and chips.
They are considering adding breakfast meals in the near future.
"I couldn't ask for a better team. I mean, when we gave them the opportunity to help the community, everyone stood up and said, 'yes, what can I do? What do you need from me?' They show up every day. We produce Sunday through Thursday, so they have meals Monday through Friday. The team has been so fantastic,” said Glendel Coble, Resident District Manager, Chartwells.
The university center dining hall is being used to make and bag the meals before they are distributed to students at the YMCA.
Chartwells is also serving daily meals to students and faculty who are still on U of M's campus.
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