Guilford County Schools Expands Its Free Summer Meals Program

The end of the school year is approaching, creating a major problem for many families struggling with food insecurity.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture funds a free summer program to help meet that need. But Guilford County Schools is enhancing its own program to help local children, including adding additional locations for breakfast and lunch and expanding its mobile pilot program.

“You think about the summer time and kids want to sleep, [have] time for them to have fun and relax, so sometimes it's hard getting kids up and getting them to breakfast. But with limited locations and transportation being a factor, it's kind of tough for parents to get kids to our schools,” says Jim Faggione, director of nutrition services at GCS.

The free meals are available for any child under 18.

Organizers say they don't take names and there's no application to fill out. There also isn't a residential requirement, so a child could participate even if they don't live in Guilford County or North Carolina.

“I think we are over 75 community partners that will come to our locations and pick meals up and take them back to their daycares, their YMCAs, their recreation centers," Faggione says. "We also have our mobile meals program where we will have a fleet of vans to actually take food out to community centers."

The mobile stops will also take place at some apartment complexes and housing projects in Greensboro and High Point.

Last year, nearly one million low-income North Carolina public school students received meals during the school term, but only a small number received them at summer meal sites in their neighborhoods.

The USDA provides a Summer Nutrition Programs Site Locator Map, which allows families to identify the nearest site for summer meals, including information about locations, meal types, times and driving directions. If parents don't have internet access, they can call (866) 348-6479 for more information. Spanish speakers can call (877) 842-6273.

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