Charles City, RRMR, other area schools offer summer meals

By James Grob, jgrob@charlescitypress.com

The Charles City Community School District will once again be participating in the Summer Food Service Program this summer.

Meals will be provided to all children without charge, regardless of whether they qualify for free or reduced-price lunches during the school year.

Meals will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis at Washington Elementary School, from June 10 through June 27, from 11 a.m. to noon, Monday through Thursday. There will be no meals served on Fridays.

Parents are encouraged to accompany younger children. An adult meal may be purchased for $3.50. No food is to be shared or carried out of the building.

Rudd-Rockford-Marble Rock is also participating in the program. Meals will be provided at a first-come, first-served basis at the RRMR high school cafeteria in Rockford.

At RRMR, breakfast and lunch will be served Monday through Friday, June 4 through July 31, although no lunch will be served July 4-7. Cost for children 18-and-under is free, $3 for adults.

Breakfast hours are 7:30 – 8:30 a.m., and lunch hours are 11-11:45 a.m.

Participants are asked to use the door to the cafeteria on the east side of the building.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition service, Central Springs Middle School in Nora Springs will also be offering summer food service starting June 3 and running through July 19.

Lunch time will be from 11:15 to noon. No meals will be served July 1-5. Central Springs will offer both breakfast and lunch at the high school in Manly. Call the district 641-749-5301 or 641-454-2208 with any questions or for more details.

The Summer Food Service Program, administered by the Iowa Department of Education, provides nutritious meals and snacks to children in low-income areas during the summer months. There are many summer food service program feedings sites across the state of Iowa, although the program is often under-utilized.

Over 50 years ago, the U.S. Department of Agriculture first piloted a program to offer free summer meals to children. The program became a permanent fixture in 1975, and in 2017, schools, libraries, recreation centers and other groups in Iowa served more than 1.3 million meals and snacks to children under 18.

Nashua-Plainfield High School is also listed as a meal site on the Iowa Department of Education’s website. Contact the district at 641-435-4835 for more information.

Locate areas serving summer meals on the USDA’s website at fns.usda.gov/summerfoodrocks.