Summer Food Service Program
A second piece of news that I believe is very important for our families involves our community’s involvement this summer in the State/Federal Summer Food Service Program. This will be the first summer that Morris County has been involved with this meal program. The goal of the program is to provide at least one meal a day to children ages 1-18 free of charge. USD 417 has over 50% of our students that qualify for free and reduced meals during the school year. For some children, school breakfast and lunch may be the most nutritious…and perhaps the only…meal of their day. There is a need for this type of program in our communities. All children are eligible to access this program. Adults may also eat with their children for a small donation fee.
Earlier this year, several concerned citizens, spearheaded by Care and Share, gathered to talk about the need for a summer food program for our children. Interested people from across the county gathered to discuss this problem and to look at the Summer Food Service Program as a potential solution. People from Council Grove, White City, Dwight, Wilsey, and other local communities came together to discuss how such a program might work in Morris County. USD 417 has also participated in these meetings to see what role we can play.
As of this time, the USD 417 Board of Education has approved the district’s participation in this program. The district will serve as the central food preparation location for our county. The Council Grove Elementary School will become the site location for the Council Grove community. Further, the district will be the program sponsor responsible for the general application, reporting, and the accounting of funds coming from the state and federal government. The meals that are served are reimbursed at an established rate by the federal and state governments. In this way, the program pays for itself with the exception of utility costs.
All other aspects of the program will be organized by a SFSP Task Force from the community. Ashley Buchman, Candra Good and Stephanie Frazier are co-coordinators of the community team. Other Task Force members are Judy Powell, Food Service Aid Manager, Cheerie Baker, Activities Manager, Brad Cartmill, Incentives Manager, Cindy Stewart, Promotion Manager, and Jennifer Buchman, Grant Writer, as well as numerous other volunteers from the community. Volunteers will supervise and clean the Council Grove Elementary serving site. Plans are being made as well for a series of activities for children to participate in prior to the meal serving time if they so choose. This summer, the food program will run for six weeks in conjunction with the district’s new KRR Summer School Program. Families and children will be responsible for getting themselves to the CG Elementary School if they wish to participate.
As of this time, there are plans for an SFSP satellite serving site for the White City community on Tuesdays and Thursdays. We are open to a team of volunteers to step forward from each of the other communities in the county, as well as from Alta Vista, to run a similar program serving site for that community as well. The next meeting for the SFSP Task Force is scheduled for Thursday, April 7th, at 2:00 p.m. in the Morris County Courthouse Meeting Room.