Each summer, the Kent School District provides thousands of meals to children, some of whom may not get a lunch otherwise.
Since 1992, the school district has offered the summer meals program, which is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
“We are just glad to be able to do this,” said Lynne Mayer, supervisor for the Kent School District’s summer meal program. “There’s a lot of kids in Kent who eat meals at schools at either no cost to them or low cost to them. Once the school year is over, they don’t have a lunch. We have parents that call our office saying, ‘I have kids who get free lunch during the school year. What can I do for them during the summer?’ We can refer them to a site that is in their area.”
The district serves about 1,800 lunches each weekday for free to children under the age of 18 at 38 sites throughout Kent and surrounding communities.
Sites include schools with summer school programs, low-income apartment complexes and parks where the city of Kent Parks Department offers summer programs.
Several schools also serve breakfast.
The lunches include offerings such as sandwiches, wraps or salads. Monday’s menu was a muffin, string cheese, yogurt, a nectarine and choice of chocolate or regular milk.
“We have tried to change the menu a little this year to make some things more interesting for kids,” Mayer said.
The program employs 33 employees in Kent, including kitchen staff, drivers and site supervisors. At about half the sites district employees distribute the meals, Mayer said.
“Some of the sites, like the other park department sites, they have parks department staff that do programs for children,” she said. “We provide training for them, so they actually serve the meal there.”
The district added a few new sites this year, including Lake Meridian Park. Mayer approached the parks department about using the location.
“I have known about this park and knew there were a lot of kids that play on the playground, and on warmer days, there’s a lot swimming,” she said.
The site has been well utilized, so far, said Joshua Clark, who serves meals at the site.
“I think it is going to get better as soon as we get more swimmers coming around,” he said. “We’ve probably averaged about 50 kids a day. We probably have three or four families that we see normally.”
Clark, who works as a warehouse driver for the district’s Nutrition Services Department during the school year, said he enjoys being out in the community and interacting with children during the summer.
“It is a nice location,” Clark said of Lake Meridian Park. “My office has a good view. It is fun to see the kids when they receive their lunch. They just smile.”
For more information or to view a complete list of sites, go to kent.k12.wa.us/KSD/CK.
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