OSHKOSH, Wis. (NBC 26) -- At UW Oshkosh's Head Start program, staff typically provides nearly 500 three- to five-year-olds from low-income households with breakfast, lunch and snacks five days a week.
"We were really concerned about their wellbeing, and making sure that we're still providing educational materials online," Valeri Donnelly, Assistant Director of Health-Related Services for UWO's Head Start, said. "We're still connecting with families through our family resource specialist."
One such community resource that Head Start was eager to connect with was Screwballs, a local bar down the street from UW Oshkosh's main campus.
"I just thought people are in trouble right now, it's a bad time, so i just wanted to put a few smiles on some faces," owner Joe Novotny said.
Together, Head Start and Screwballs organized 160 bags of meals for five to give their Oshkosh-based families ahead of Easter Sunday. Novotny had the idea Monday, and his restaurant partners were eager to get the balling rolling.
"My vendors are from all over Wisconsin," Novotny said. "I was in Kaukauna, Green Bay, Oshkosh here, so I mean everybody was very helpful."
"There is approximately a four to five pound ham, two and a half pounds of corn, five potatoes, a pound of butter and enough stuffing for five" in each bag, according to Novotny.
All Oshkosh Head Start families were invited to pick up their bags per student in their household today, and if they could not make it, teachers went out of their way to deliver bags to their rightful home.
Based on community resources and availability, Oshkosh Head Start hopes to expand the program to all families under their umbrella that spans as far as Shawano.
