Park City resident Kris Choi said the high transmission rates of the COVID-19 virus had impacted many staff and schoolteachers in the district. Rather than just lamenting the crisis, she decided to do something to help.
"So, I got ahold of Meg Leaf and asked her to set up a mail train online, initially with the intention of delivering meals and care packages for teachers and staff that were out sick."
She said the meal train has generated kindhearted monetary contributions from many in the community.
Additionally, people volunteer to prepare and deliver meals to sick teachers and staff in their homes.
Meg Leaf, a partner with Choi on the project, said they'd had trouble finding how many teachers and staff are home sick. Leaf said they're working with teachers in each school to deliver meals to colleagues.
"I can tell you about one teacher who kind of blew my mind. I delivered a meal from Vessel kitchen because her family had some issues. But she was down for the count. And when I delivered it, she teared up and was so grateful. I mean, her gratitude was palpable. And she said, thank you so much for what you're doing. I can't even believe it.”
They'll deliver about 700 health care packages to the district's staff and teachers by the end of the month. Leaf said the care package is a gesture, showing the community cares about teachers and staff and the risks they take in classrooms every day.
"The care packages at this point have become little bags of supplies like electrolyte powder, Kleenex, throat lozenges, tea bags."
Leaf said students and teachers are worried about getting sick because the virus is still surging.
" I don't want to just give lip service to our teachers and staff because these are the people who are keeping that engine going. They are boots on the ground. They are the most precious resource we have in education, and if they are not taken care of, we don't have an education system."
Both Choi and Leaf want to keep the project alive. You can donate to meal train on the link.
