School divisions offer free summer meals for families

ROANOKE, Va. (WDBJ) - More Americans are struggling to put food on the table; that’s according to new research from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Researchers found that in February of this year, 10% of households surveyed said they did not have enough food. The cost of food is up 3% over the last year, and it’s forcing folks to make tough decisions. More people reported receiving food assistance, relying on donations, and dipping into savings to cover everyday expenses.

When school lets out, the free meals many families rely on disappear and for many students, the end of the school year means the end of steady meals. That’s why some of our hometown school divisions are participating in the USDA’s Summer Food Service Program that aims to provide free meals for families; making sure no child in our community has to worry about an empty stomach during the off season.

WDBJ7 spoke with school officials at Radford and Franklin County about the importance of this program.

“There are a lot of students that they rely on our meals throughout the school year. We have had students come up and talk to us and say they’re almost sad that we’re going on Christmas break because they don’t know where their meals are going to come from,” said Franklin County Public Schools Food and Nutrition Coordinator Heather Snead.

Making sure students have food is Snead’s primary goal. With schools letting out for summer, the division is set to hand out free breakfast and lunches. Snead is trying to make sure no child is hungry, so anyone two to 18 is eligible.

“Say you have relatives that are visiting from out of town and you would like those kids to have a meal, anyone 2 to 18, it doesn’t matter where they’re from as long as they’re within that age group.”

She said there are five open sites throughout the county; Franklin County High School as well as Ferrum, Sontag, Rocky Mount and Windy Gap Elementary Schools. She said they’re doing something new at the Glade Hill Elementary site this year.

“On Thursdays, you can also pick up a weekend box that you can pick up that will have breakfast and lunch in it, the shelf-stable. And so you’ll have something for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. So that’s something different we’re doing this year. We’re pretty excited about that. So that means we can reach more families, more kids, and make sure that we just feed more of the children that normally would be eating with us during the school year,” added Snead.

Radford City Schools is also participating throughout the month of June. Families can eat free breakfast and lunch on-site at Belle Heth Elementary and Radford High School.

“A lot of students only get a meal when they’re here at school. So when we’re out for the summer, it’s important to Radford City Schools that we make food available for the students,” said Radford City Schools Assistant Director of School Nutrition Lisa Thomas.

Several of our other hometown school divisions are also participating, including Roanoke, Lynchburg, and Danville. For more information on locations and times, visit the USDA Summer Meals Site Finder.