Families with kids who receive free breakfast and lunch during the school year are often left scrambling during the summer months.
To help families out, two programs serving Richmond and the rest of Madison County will be providing meals to families and kids in need this summer.
Both Berea Kids Eat by Grow Appalachia and the Madison County Schools' Summer Food Service Program will be operating almost 80 combined meal sites through August 21, the start of school for most students).
The programs are both funded by USDA and provide meals to those under the age of 18. Families don't have to provide proof of income, all kids need to do to get their meals is show up at the appropriate times and places.
Free meal programs can use banner printing to clearly label food pick-up sites and to advertise the fact that meals are available at those locations.
The director of Madison County Food Service, Scott Anderson, stressed that getting the word out about the program is essential. According to the Kentucky Association of Food Banks, fewer than 10 percent of kids that receive free or lower cost meals during the school year are connected to programs that distribute free summer meals.
Berea Kids Eat has around 27 locations and the Summer Food Service Program will operate around 50. Among the locations will be local camps, branches of the public library, and schools.
