Lauren Gray lives in Edgartown and ordinarily her title at work is education support staff for the sixth grade at the West Tisbury School.

Now she is The Lunch Runner.

“I take the lunch from inside the cafeteria to the cars outside when they come to pick up their lunch,” she said.

Pickup is everyday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., at all the schools around the Island. Students can get both their breakfast and lunch during those hours, Ms. Gray added.

It may not be a long distance from cafeteria to curbside pickup but the pace is fast and frequent. On Tuesday, Ms. Gray delivered 120 meals outside.

“Everybody keeps saying I need a fit bit to keep track of how far I go each day,” she said.

The preference is for lunches to be pre-ordered  but orders can also be taken at curbside.

“There is a sign outside, you call a number, Mary Boyd answers the phone and gives it to the cafeteria.,” Ms. Gray explained.

Ms. Gray said the hardest part about the new reality is not having a routine — and missing the kids. But some of her students accompany their parents for pick-ups.

“It’s so nice to see their faces, even though we can only wave from far away.”

“It’s very weird,” she added. “I’m just happy to be helping out in any way I can.”

—Bill Eville