Summer is right around the corner! Summer can be one of the hungriest times of year for millions of kids who receive free and reduced-price meals during the school year, a lifeline that ensures reliable access to nutrition. When schools close for the summer, however, these meals disappear and families struggle from the strain on already-tight budgets.
But this summer is special – there are new permanent provisions to summer meals! Beginning this summer, school districts and nonprofits in rural Kentucky communities are allowed to serve meals in a non-congregate meal service model, where meals will be available via grab and go, home delivery, and multi-day pick-up.
Summer meal programs were designed to provide healthy meals when kids aren’t in school, but for many reasons, they’ve only reached a fraction of the kids who access free-and-reduced price meals during the school year. Due to barriers like transportation, fuel costs, extreme weather and parent’s work schedules, access to summer meals is just difficult. And in rural areas, where kids often live many miles from their closest meal site, these challenges have been particularly stark.
To date, in support of these changes and what they mean for program operators, No Kid Hungry Kentucky awarded nearly $102,000 in grant funds to help organizations across the state reach children with summer meals, ensuring they remain nourished and healthy during the summer months.
No Kid Hungry’s grant funding supports the adaptations needed by program operators to reach as many kids as possible with summer meals, including meal delivery, refrigeration and transportation costs. To date, the following school districts received grants:
- Bell County Schools
- Caverna Independent Schools
- Middlesboro Independent Schools
- Perry County Schools
- Trimble County Schools
- Wayne County Schools
- Whitley County Schools
- Williamsburg Independent Schools