Signups are open for the Overton County Schools Summer Meals program, providing free lunches to children in the community.
School Nutrition Program Supervisor Debie Taylor said she plans to start having meals distributed immediately following Memorial Day. She said Overton County is home to many “latch-key” children who are home alone most days in the summer months.
“To have a program like this for children so that they still receive nourishment, it’s just a great thing,” Taylor said. “I mean, these are school meals like the children are used to. They are federally endorsed, and so they’re going to have all the nutrients that kids are supposed to have.”
Taylor said those interested in having meals provided can reach out to the Overton County Schools Central Office. Students will also receive information at school during the closing weeks of school.
“As a parent and a grandparent, I can’t think of a better thing to help parents out,” Taylor said. “This is just a great program, and, you know, for parents that maybe they have yard work to do, and, you know, children get bored, why, you can take them to the pool. There’s somebody there at the pool watching them, and hey, you can rest assured that they’re going to receive a meal while they’re there. It’s just a win-win all the way around.”
She said during the COVID-19 pandemic, parents could pick up meals and take them home, but that version of the program has ceased. She said she has already sent requests from several groups to the USDA School Nutrition Office and expects them to be approved in May. She said leaders of church groups or summer sports teams can apply to have daily lunches provided at their site.
“A ball team that’s going to be practicing or something, they need to let me know that they are going to be wanting these meals because, you know, if we don’t have a heads up, we’re not going to have them prepared.”
She said those who are accepted will have an SUV arrive daily with the free meals between 11:00am and noon at the location they have specified in their application.
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