CAIRO — A Grady County Schools program offering free meals to children 18 and under has seen a noticeable spike so far this year as students seek assistance during the coronavirus pandemic.

Superintendent Kermit Gilliard said more than 2,700 breakfasts and lunches were distributed at Cairo High School last week, the first week of the school system’s summer meals program. That’s in comparison to 1,475 meals distributed during the first week of last year’s program — a nearly two-fold increase.

Gilliard said he believes the meal program has “absolutely” been a success so far, and he anticipates numbers to pick up as families become accustomed to collecting the breakfasts and lunches at Cairo High School as opposed to across the county, as was the case earlier this year when schools were closed due to the pandemic. In that case, the school system distributed more than 111,000 meals to students between March 17 and May 22.

Local daycares also have taken advantage of the summer meals program in years past to feed children in their care, and Gilliard suspects they’ll help fuel a further use of the program as they begin to reopen.

Meals can be picked up Tuesdays and Thursdays at the CHS cafeteria from 10:30 a.m.-11:15. Meals are free to everyone 18 and under. Adults can purchase meals for $5 each.

Two breakfasts and two lunches will be distributed on Tuesdays while three breakfasts and three lunches will be distributed on Thursdays.

The CHS cafeteria can be reached by turning onto Syrupmaker Drive off 5th Street. A school employee will be on-site to distribute meals to students from the safety of their vehicles.