Buncombe County Schools began serving free summer lunches to children ages 2-18 on Monday, June 15, and will continue until August 7. Dozens of locations will serve free lunch and some will also serve free breakfast.
In 2014, Buncombe County Schools served more than 86,000 free meals during its summer meal program and expects these numbers to rise this year.
For a detailed list of participating locations, visit Buncombe County School’s website.
From Buncombe County Schools:
Event announcement
Buncombe County Schools Child Nutrition Program is using funds made available from the USDA to provide free lunches to students ages 2-18 at dozens of sites throughout the county. Some sites will also be serving breakfast. The program runs from June 15 to August 7.
“The summer meals program helps bridge the gap between the spring and the fall. Children who receive regular nutritious meals during the school year will continue to have meals over the summer. We know that children who don’t have adequate nutrition are not only at a disadvantage physically, but academically as well,” said Mary Andraea, School Nutrition Specialist for Buncombe County Schools. “Our program is really expanding, which we owe to the support of our community partnerships. We feel that we are reaching the children that really are in need.”
The number of students receiving meals is expected to rise above the 86,000 meals given last year as more sites are available. The meals are available to students who come to a free summer meal site located at schools, churches, community centers and other participating locations. There are 28 sites open to all children. Per the USDA guidelines, participants must eat their meal at the site—no meals can be taken off site.There is no application, registration, or proof of residency needed to participate. Any child age 2-18 may eat a meal at any of the open sites in the county.
Before you comment
The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.