Kids on Course University will bring meals to students after cyber attack pauses programming

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) - Kids on Course University summer programming is temporarily halted after a cyber attack hit the Cedar Rapids Community School District earlier this week.

KCU is a seven week summer program run by the Zach Johnson Foundation that works with students who are below reading benchmarks. It serves 700 students, who are provided with reading, math and writing instruction by certified teachers. It also provides students with free breakfast and lunch, which some families rely on to make sure their kids have nutritious meals. KCU provides around 1,400 meals a day, and also sends students home with meals on Fridays to help over the weekend. With programming paused this week, Kids on Course University staff made a plan to make sure students could still have meals to take home over the weekend.

The Zach Johnson Foundation worked with HACAP, Americorps, and CRCSD on Wednesday morning to make a plan to hand out 2,000 food bags between 18 stations across the city on Friday from 10am to noon. Each bag will have two meals inside. Kids on Course University program director Stephanie Stulken says they’re making sure to prioritize accessibility.

“A kid does not have to have an adult with them to pick up a food bag. We’ll be hitting the apartment complexes, and some of the mobile home parks in town because we know that’s where a lot of our kids and our families are there that have the barriers of transportation and food insecurity,” says Stulken.

Executive Director of the Zach Johnson Foundation Sarah Volz says providing meals is an important part of the services KCU provides. “Food insecurity really can impact a child’s learning and engagement, so making sure that they get fed and that they’re cared for and they get the nutrients they need is super important, and if that’s the least we can do this week that’s what we’re gonna do,” says Volz.

The Cedar Rapids Community School District said Tuesday it expects program to resume as normal on Monday, July 11th. District leaders did not share any additional information on Tuesday. It’s still unclear what system was the target of the cyberattack or what information the attacker may have had access to.

Pick-up sites for food bags will be at the main entrance of the locations listed, rain or shine.

Here are the times and locations food bags will be available at on Friday, July 8th:

Cedar River Academy at Taylor Elementary: 10am-12pm

Westdale Court Apartments: 10-10:45am

Summitview MH Park: 10-10:45am

Grandview MH Park: 11-11:45am

International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers: 11-11:45am

Cedar Terrace Mobile Home Park: 11-11:45am

Hawthorne Hills: 11-11:45am

Redmond Park: 11-11:45am

McKinley Middle School: 10-10:45am

Johnson STEAM Academy: 10am-12pm

Polk Alternative Education Center: 10-10:45am

Garfield Elementary: 10am-12pm

Franklin Middle School: 11-11:45am

Harrison Elementary: 10-10:45am

5 Seasons Mobile Home Park: 11-11:45am

Cambridge Apartments: 10-10:45am

Nixon Elementary: 10am-12pm

Madison Elementary: 11-11:45am

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