Hero Teacher Walks 5 Miles Daily Carrying 40 lbs of Free Lunch for 78 Students

• A local of Grimsby, Lincolnshire, assistant headteacher Zane Powles sports a backpack as he carries out his food delivery service.
• He walks 5 miles to drop packed lunches to his students’ houses every day.
• Though he is not alone in this initiative, his efforts are appreciated by parents in the community.

We’re seeing heroes everywhere in this time of a global pandemic. From the doctors and soldiers to the farmers and grocery workers, these tireless essential employees are getting the recognition they rightfully deserve.

Locals of Grimsby, Lincolnshire recently recognized one such hero in their midst: assistant headteacher Zane Powles of the Western Primary School.

According to a report, 41 percent of the children who go to Western Primary School are eligible for free school meals. The End Child Poverty also tells us that 34 percent of all Grimsby kids live in poverty.

With this in mind, Zane sets out to walk over 5 miles (8 kilometers) every day to deliver free school lunches to the students. He places the packed food on the students’ doorsteps, knocks on their doors, and waits until someone opens before he leaves. Supplementing his efforts are headteacher Kim Leach and one other teacher, who are also helping deliver free lunches by car to families who live far away.

In an interview, Zane shared that he thinks Grimsby will stay in lockdown for a few more weeks. Although the school has been open all this time and will remain so, they want to reach and help out vulnerable children.

“We also are happy to take other children based on individual circumstances as we know our families very well so we will support them as much as we can, where we can,” he said.

Zane shared that he feels humbled by the positive responses to his deliveries. The happiness of the parents to have an “adult contact” whenever he arrives at their doorstep is clear to Zane, though he finds the attention overwhelming, even embarrassing.

“All the attention and being called a hero/legend embarrasses me and makes me feel a little silly but it’s nice to hear that the job I’m doing is appreciated,” he admitted.

His daughter also shared how proud she is of her dad for his efforts.

His efforts have also received commendation online.

Despite all the attention, Zane emphasizes that it’s all a team effort as he shares “the donkey work” with the other teachers. He also expressed his appreciation for the award he recently received.