HANCOCK COUNTY — Food service workers from two Hancock County school districts kept the bellies of hungry kids filled this summer, dishing up more than 10,000 free meals throughout June and July.
Greenfield-Central and Mt. Vernon schools each offered free summertime meals this year under the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Summer Food Service Program.
In its fourth year offering free summer meals, Greenfield-Central expanded its program, setting up four sites around the city — the Boys and Girls Club of Hancock County, the Riley Park Shelter House, Greenfield-Central High School and Weston Elementary School — where warm breakfasts and lunches were served to kids.
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The district hoped adding a location would help reach more kids in need, Linda Weirich, food service director for Greenfield-Central schools. And it quickly became apparent that their plans were successful, she said.
By the end of June, about 7,000 meals had been served, Weirich said. She anticipated exceeding 10,000 by the time the program officially concluded Friday afternoon.
Mt. Vernon for the first time offered free breakfast and lunch to local kids inside Fortville Elementary School for three weeks in June and two weeks in July. A total of 534 meals were dished up in that time, said district spokeswoman Maria Bond.
The free meals offered in Greenfield and Fortville were available to any child younger than 18. Some of the children who stopped in for meals in both school districts were involved in nearby summer camps or other activities.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture effort is intended to target youth in the community who are considered disadvantaged, or those who might go without food during their time away from school.
Need for free meals in prevalent throughout the community, officials say.
At Mt. Vernon, about a fourth of the student body, or 950 kids, qualified for free and reduced-price lunches in 2017-18, state records show.
Approximately a third of Greenfield-Central students, or 1,600, qualified last year for free and reduced-price lunches, according to data from the Indiana Department of Education.
Greenfield-Central first introduced its summer meals program in 2015; and the number of kids taking advantage of it has increased with every passing year.
That first year, 4,000 free meals were served to local kids.
That amount doubled in 2016 when the district added breakfast to its daily menu. In 2017, some 10,000 summer meals were served, and Weirich anticipates the district will have met or exceeded that number in 2018.
The school district is reimbursed for the meals it provides by grant money through the Department of Agriculture.
And while the program keeps kids from being hungry during summer vacation, it helps ensure they return to school ready to learn, according to the Department of Agriculture.
Studies show children who miss breakfast and lunch are more likely to be sick, disruptive and inattentive; they also tend to score lower on achievement tests, the department states.
Knowing they were able to help kids who might have gone without food over the summer is very rewarding, Weirich said.
It also gives food service workers a chance to get to know the kids they’ll see throughout the school year, she said.
“When the children start school again it is nice to see the smiles on both the children and ladies’ faces,” she said.