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SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN — Despite a stay at home order handed down by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, families in southwest Michigan can still pick up school provided lunches for their children during a mandated school shutdown.

As school meals have been declared an essential service, local districts are still providing meals at pickup times and locations announced earlier this month.

Brandywine Community Schools is providing free meals to children 18 years old and younger. The district will provide “Grab-N-Go” bags containing seven days’ worth of breakfast and lunch meals. To register, call (269) 683-4800, ext. 3208.

Buchanan Community Schools is offering lunch packs, along with a breakfast snack for the next day Monday through Friday to all students 18 years old or younger. Students can pick up meals at the following times daily:

• Buchanan High School, Tennis Court Parking Lot: 11 a.m. 12:30 p.m.

• Ottawa School Bus Stop: 11 to 11:25 a.m.

• Moccasin School Bus Stop: 11:35 to noon

• Victory Park Bus Stop: 12:10 to 12:30 p.m.

• Stark School Bus Stop: 11:15 to 11:40 p.m.

• Rynearson Apartments: 11:50 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.

• Hill’s Haven: 11 to 11:30 a.m.

• Riverside Estates: 11:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.

Cassopolis Public Schools is providing breakfast and lunch to any child under the age of 18 or anyone 26 and under with a disability. The district will be serving pre-packaged breakfast along with several days of lunch items that can be easily assembled for fresh meals until the next distribution day.

Students do not need to be present at pick up, and district officials encourage the community to help out their neighbors by picking up meals and delivering to those that cannot make the pickup time, district officials wrote in a letter to parents. To pick up meals, the district is asking that individuals bring containers to take home.

Meals will be offered from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Mondays and Thursdays at the following locations:

• Sam Adams Elementary School, southeast parking lot, 101 S. East St., Cassopolis

• Penn Township Fire Department, 17977 Wood St., Vandalia

At Edwardsburg Public Schools meals can be picked up between 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Fridays by driving through one of the following locations:

• Edwardsburg Middle School, 69410 Section St., Edwardsburg

• Eagle Lake Elementary, 23889 Avenue C, Edwardsburg

• Five Points Minland Machine, 19801 M-205, Edwardsburg

• Milton Township Hall, 32019 Bertrand St., Niles

At pickups, each child will receive three breakfasts and three lunches (12 total meals per week). An EPS school bus will be at each location to hand out meals, which are available by drive-through only.

Dowagiac Union Schools is providing meals at the following locations and times:

• Twin Lakes Park: 11 to 11:30 a.m.

• Riverside Apartments: 11 to 11:30 a.m.

• Sister Lakes Community Church: 11:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.

• Dowagiac District Library: 11: 30 a.m. to noon

• Water Tower Park: noon to 12:30 p.m.

• Indian Hills Apartments: 12:30 to 1 p.m.

• Justus Gage Playground: 12:30 to 1 p.m.

• Dowagiac Union High School Auto Shop: 1 to 1:30 p.m.

• ACTION Ministries: 1 to 1:30 p.m.

• Eagle Wood Apartments: 1:30 to 2 p.m.

• Vineyard Place Apartments: 1:30 to 2 p.m.

• Walter Ward Park: 2 to 2: 30 p.m.

Niles Community Schools is offering breakfast and lunch. Meals will be available via pickup Monday through Friday, with weekend meals available for pick up Friday. Ballard Elementary will also have dinner and breakfast service available.

Students can pick up meals at the following times daily:

• Niles YMCA: 11 a.m. to noon

• Niles District Library: 11 a.m. to noon

• Howard-Ellis Elementary: 11 a.m. to noon

• Northside Child Development Center: 11 a.m. to noon

• Niles High School: 11 a.m. to noon

• Niles Administration Center: 11 a.m. to noon

• Ballard Elementary: 5:30 to 6:15 p.m.