The 2023 Summer Food Service Program is serving free lunches to kids needing a meal while school is out.
Summer Food Coordinator Sue Foster runs the program from the Smith-Cotton Junior High School kitchen, kindly provided by Sedalia School District 200.
The program is sponsored by Heart of America ReDistribution Solutions and Support and was started by Foster 13 years ago.
“I saw an article in the paper, a little three-line blip on the front page about wanting sponsors to do a food program for kids in the summertime when school’s not session and kids weren’t being fed.” Foster said. “I looked into it, got all the paperwork signed, turned it in and was accepted as a sponsor.”
On Wednesday, June 21, volunteers and staff efficiently prepared, packaged and delivered stack after stack of meals.
“This program is funded by the USDA, and it's administered by the Department of Health and Senior Services,” Foster stressed. “Today, we're sending out 610 meals. A meal has to meet certain components as required by the state to have two ounces of protein, four ounces of fruit, four ounces of vegetables, milk, and some type of a whole-grain bread.”
Brody Von Moss volunteers a few days a week, and as he learns tasks with job coach Abigale Ingalls, he helps gather the meals as they exit the packaging machine.
“Brody, are you ready to catch trays?” Ingalls asked.
Brody nods and gets ready to help.
“I like it,” Brody told the Democrat. “I count 20 sporks.”
Ingalls gently guides Brody to the next task and the group assembles the meals for hungry local kids.
“He’s an incredible individual,” Ingalls said of Brody. “He is a hard worker, he's very consistent, and he picks up things quicker and quicker the more he does them. I feel grateful just to work with Brody.”
“It takes a big volunteer effort, we have sites where we go,” Foster said. “We're in city parks, we’re in the mobile home parks, we have some reading programs we're doing. We have volunteers from churches and just the community at large that comes, and we also have nine paid staff. This is very rewarding to whoever works with it because they keep coming back year after year. I have volunteers and staff that have been here 13 years, since we started this.”
Tyson Foods donates chicken as well as Con Agra from Marshall. Donations keep costs down and healthy choices available for hungry kids.
“We have a lot of donations that come in to help offset our costs,” Foster said, “and when I can offset a cost, that means I could do a different kind of an entree that may cost a little more.”
Ileana Clemons is the lead daycare teacher at Sacred Heart School and relies on the summer feeding program, both at work and at home.
“It’s truly a blessing,” Clemons said. “Lunches are really hard. I'm a mom, I have three daughters who attend here at Sacred Heart, and it's hard to get them out of the door every morning and pack them a lunch that's going to sustain them all day long.”
And the summer food program is looking for more groups of kids to feed.
“We can serve our meals to any kids program with 18 and younger,” Foster said. “So we can do vacation Bible schools, we do reading programs, any kind of event that has individuals 18 and younger.”
“We get 50 meals, we get a lot of meals here. Last year we got, I think, 75,” Clemons said. “It's amazing, no matter how many kids we have, they will get us lunch. Even if more kids show up one day and we don't have enough delivered, they will actually bring us more lunches. It's just an amazing program.”
Meals are served Monday through Friday from June 5 to July 31. All sites will be closed July 4. Meals are free for children 18 and younger. Meals must be eaten at the site and cannot be taken to go.
For more information, call Sue Foster at 660-596-3922 or 1-888-435-1464 or visit www.dhss.mo.gov/sfsp.
Chris Howell can be reached at 660-530-0146.
