School districts, organizations work to provide summer meals

Various community organizations will offer free meals this summer to help curb child hunger while school is out of session.

Nearly 50 percent of children in Northwest Arkansas are growing up in low-income homes. That's 26,439 children living in poverty in Benton and Washington counties, according to Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families' presentation "Child Poverty in Northwest Arkansas: Falling Behind in a Region Known for Success" published in January.

Children are guaranteed meals at school during the school year, but some parents look for and rely on other resources during the summer to help with food expenses, said Debbi Rambo, Samaritan Community Center executive director.

The center has two cafe locations, one in Springdale and the other in Rogers, that serve free, hot meals in a restaurant-type setting.

"We do see a huge spike in the summer, kids coming in with their families," Rambo said.

Participation nearly doubles in the summer from 450 people served at both locations to 450 people at each location every time they're open, she said.

The center's SnackPack for Kids program sees a decrease in participation during the summer.

A snackpack is a shopping bag that contains eight to 10 healthy snacks, according to the center's website. More than 7,500 children in 120 Northwest Arkansas schools and Head Start centers receive snackpacks every Friday during the school year to have food for the weekend. The program continues through the summer as packs are distributed Friday through school and church lunch programs, the center's cafes and other venues.

There were about 3,500 children who received a snackpack last week, according to Rambo.

Transportation may be why participation decreases in the summer, Rambo said. School counselors are able to identify and distribute snackpacks to students during the school year while students need to go to a distribution site to get them during the summer.

Rogers Public Schools saw an increase in its summer meal program when it added Mobile Meals, a truck that serves at the Center for Nonprofits and four apartment complexes.

An average of 450 to 500 meals are provided each week day through the Mobile Meals truck, according to Margie Bowers, Rogers schools food service director. The program is supported through the USDA Seamless Summer Program.

The district serves another 200 to 250 people at its three other summer meal sites, which includes Heritage High School, Bowers said.

It would reach about 400 children total before adding Mobile Meals, she said.

"We have parents tell us all the time that this is such an asset," Bowers said of being able to bring meals to areas.

Some families may not have a car. Others might have one, but a parent needs it to get to work during the day, Bowers said.

Rogers Public Schools has the second highest number of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch of the area's four largest cities, at 62 percent, according to the Arkansas Department of Education. Springdale Public Schools has the highest at just less than 68 percent.

Springdale schools have four summer meal sites: Elmdale, Parson Hills and Jones elementary schools and Sonora Middle School, according to Rick Schaeffer, communications director. All sites start serving lunch at 11:30 a.m.

"You don't have to go to school there to eat there," Schaeffer said.

Fayetteville Public Schools' only summer meal site is at Holt Middle School.

Lunch is served from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and a snack is provided from 2 to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. About 400 students are served a day, said Sherrie Cook, cafeteria manager.

"That's been pretty steady for the last three years," she said.

Forty percent of the district's students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, according to the Arkansas Department of Education. Bentonville Public Schools has the lowest of the area's four largest cities at 26 percent.

"We're one of the lowest free and (reduced-price lunches) in the state, but we still have hungry kids," Robert Ginder, director of nutrition services, said.

The district's only summer meal site is Mary Mae Jones Elementary where about 750 meals a day have been served there for the last two summers, Ginder said.

Breakfast is also offered as well as lunch. Breakfast sees about 250 participants, and lunches typically sees around 500, Ginder said.

The school districts' summer meal programs are supported by the USDA Summer Food Service Program, which is federally funded and state administered, according to the program's website. It reimburses those who provide healthy meals to children and teenagers 18 years and younger.

There is no qualification to receive a free meal other than age, site supervisors said.

Many sites also provide meals to adults at an affordable price, such as $3.50 or less for lunch and $1.50 or less for breakfast.

Area churches and nonprofit organizations also serve as Summer Food Service Program sites.

A full list of summer meal sites can be viewed at www.fns.usda.gov/summerfoodrocks.

Melissa Gute can be reached at mgute@nwaonline.com or on Twitter @NWAMelissa.

NW News on 06/22/2015