Summer meal programs open
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on June 25, 2012 1:46 PM
For many children, summertime means school is out and it's time for unstructured fun.
But for some, it also presents a unique problem -- families can't count on their children having a meal at school and budgets must be stretched even further.
Two local sites are now open to provide breakfast and lunch for youth during the summer months.
Rebuilding Broken Places, 2110 N. William Street, will participate in the program weekdays through Aug. 18. Breakfast is served from 8:30-9:15 a.m. and lunch from 11:30 a.m. until 12:15 p.m. As long as youth arrive at the designated times, they will be served, organizers said.
The other site is Dillard Academy, 504 W. Elm Street. It is operating weekdays through Aug. 17. Breakfast time is 8-9 a.m. and lunch from 11 a.m. until noon.
Similar to the school-based meal programs, the U.S. Department of Agriculture offers free breakfast and lunch to students across the state who show up at the registered locations.
The state's Department of Health and Human Services is administering the federally-funded Summer Food Service Program, offering nutritious meals and snacks for children 18 and younger. An estimated 350 sites in 50 counties are participating.
More than 770,000 children received free or reduced price meals at public schools and military base schools during the last year. Last year, the SFSP program provided free meals to more than 74,500 children, while another 16,500 were fed through a similar program hosted by the N.C. Department of Public Instruction.
The meals are served to children free of charge. Registration in advance is not required.
For more information on either program, people may call Rebuilding Broken Places at (919) 581-9178 ext. 104, or Dillard at (919) 581-0166.