Rashad Roland wakes up excited every day knowing his job is making a real difference in the lives of Aiken County school children.
Roland is a the transportation supervisor for Aiken County Public Schools in Area 1, and while schools are closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, he also has been driving a bus, delivering a week's worth of breakfast and lunch meals to children around Aiken every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday.
“It's a joy to do it,” Roland said on a recent Thursday at Aiken High School while waiting for district employees to load his bus with boxes and boxes of bagged meals, enough food for two days.
“Seeing these kids normally on a regular school day, you know the kids who need things,” Roland said. “It's good to see the kids out there, even the kids who don't ride the bus typically. They're happy to get this food. It is very helpful.”
Roland delivers meals to 145 students in south Aiken. Typically, 43 bus drivers – plus school aides who assist them – deliver meals from Aiken High, which is the biggest food distribution center in the county. School district employees bag an average of 2,160 meals on distribution days.
Roland said the students are excited to see the bus.
“It's like a little parade when we come by each day,” he said. “I'm so thankful that our kids in Aiken County are still able to eat because people don't realize a lot of students depend on these meals. With us being able to service them during this time, it's just great.”
Since schools closed in mid-March, Aiken County Public Schools' food service and bus drivers have prepared and delivered hundreds of thousands of meals to students across Aiken County.
Read the full Aiken Standard article here.