During the 2019-20 program year, the Long Island Migrant Education Tutorial and Support Services (METS) Program Center continued to develop and leverage relationships with various community partners in response to the emerging needs related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
They worked with the St. John’s Parish Outreach program to address the issue of food insecurity for migrant students and their families. St. John’s Parish Outreach program remained open during the pandemic and continued to serve families in need. Long Island Metro METS staff met with this partnering organization to discuss the broader needs across migrant students and families for food. The collaboration allowed for maintaining connections with hard-to-reach students. Staff were then able to work with families connecting them back to their schools to access the free school lunch program, ensuring that they were able to advocate for their own needs.
In addition, the Long Island Metro METS provided educational materials and opportunities for virtual instruction for students once they were communicating with them about food insecurity needs. While surrounding schools struggled to get in touch with students and families directly, staff were able to make connections.
Finally, staff also advocated on behalf of families with SNAP benefits. This community agency referral development process opened the door to many families during the pandemic, which then evolved into ongoing needs assessment and deeper partnership with schools.
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