5 coronavirus things: Schools and colleges top COVID spreaders in DC

In this special edition of 5 Things, Food Management highlights five things you may have missed recently about developments regarding coronavirus and its impact on onsite dining.

Here’s your list for today:

Colleges/universities (27.5%) and K-12 schools (17.4%) were the top contributors to COVID-19 outbreaks in Washington, DC, according to contract tracing data released recently by the city’s Health Dept. that ranked setting types by number of outbreaks. They were followed by restaurants/bars and childcare/daycare with 13.8% each. The report did not include data from healthcare facilities and private homes like houses and apartment complexes.

Read more: Nearly 14% of Washington, D.C. COVID-19 outbreaks linked to restaurants and bars, D.C. contact-tracing data suggests

Banner Health in Colorado is no longer accepting food donations to its hospitals and is asking potential donors to instead direct funding to local foundations that will let the facilities plan and distribute meals for its staff in a more coordinated way. Sending donated meals to healthcare facilities and other “frontline” venues has been a popular way for individuals to show their support for those dealing most directly with the COVID pandemic, but the donations sometimes pose safety and logistics issues for the recipient institutions.

Related:5 coronavirus things: Georgetown to provide dining allowance to on-campus students over winter break

Read more: Banner Health asking community to support medical providers through local foundations rather than direct meal donations

UCLA Dining is partnering with Venice Family Clinic nonprofit community health center to provide nearly 13,000 nutritious free meals a week to patients and families in need during the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of the effort, UCLA Dining plans, prepares and delivers healthful, ready-to-eat meals five days a week to Venice Family Clinic sites in Venice, Santa Monica, Mar Vista and Hawthorne, where staff and volunteers then distribute the meals to the low-income patients the clinic serves. The prepared meals are in addition to free fresh fruits and vegetables Venice Family Clinic has been distributing over the past year to its patients.

Read more: Venice Family Clinic and UCLA Collaborate to Reduce Food Insecurity During the Pandemic, Delivering Nearly 13,000 Free Meals Weekly to People in Need

Related:Flavor of the Month: Lingonberry — Scandinavia’s answer to the cranberry

Linda Tutt High School (LTHS) in Sanger, Texas, recently opened a student-operated grocery store to support local families in need. District students and their families can make purchases from the store using points that are initially set depending on family size, but students can also earn more points for outstanding performance in school, doing “good deeds” and completing jobs around school. LTHS partnered with First Refuge Ministries, Texas Health Resources and commercial grocer Albertsons to open the store, which is completely run by students who manage the inventory, stock the shelves and help customers find and bag what they need.

Read more: A high school in Texas opened a grocery store for struggling families where good deeds are accepted as payment

Sun Yat-sen University in China has drawn criticism after it was revealed that students were being served meals differing in portion size and price based on their gender in the university cafeteria. Male students pay 12 RMB (about $2) for a lunch containing two eggs while female students pay 11 RMB for a lunch with one egg.

Read more: University Cafeteria Draws Criticism Over “Girl’s Meal”

Bonus: 10 biggest healthcare dining stories of 2020

Contact Mike Buzalka at [email protected]