Summer Meal Program launches at Springfield school district to keep kids fed
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) – Springfield Public Schools District 186 is making sure kids are fed over the next few months: their Summer Meal Program launched this week.
“We realize that one out of three children are hungry during the summer, so we’re making sure that our schools are helping solve that problem,” Toia Keith, the district’s food service director, said.
Cafeteria workers at Fairview Elementary School were hard at work preparing meals for kids to eat.
“The summer feeding program’s intention is really just to bring as many meals to students as possible throughout the summer,” Megan McMillan, the district’s food production manager, said. “Since those students are losing the dedicated meals that they would get during the school year, they want to make sure that they are getting that option during the summer as well.”
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Data from the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) shows that in Illinois, for every 100 kids who receive a meal through the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), which helps provide free or reduced lunch to students during the school day, only 12 children get a meal during the summer months.
“We are kind of filling in that gap that some students might be having with getting meal services,” McMillan said.
Some of the students they’re serving are involved in summer programs, but it’s also open to anyone in the community under eighteen years old. They can get free breakfast and lunch at schools involved in the program but they have to eat it at the school.
“We’ve all been experiencing higher costs for food and living expenses in general, so it’s a pleasure of ours to bring this sort of relief to families as a free option for their children,” McMillan said.
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Last year, the district served under 1,000 students during the summer. This year, they hope to serve more.
“We have good meals, hot meals, so the community is always welcome,” Keith said. “The community is something that we pride ourselves in serving so we’re all excited about this and we hope that it will continue to be a good thing for the community here in Springfield.”
A full list of the schools involved in the program and the times they are open can be found below:
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