Chow down: County schools offer free meals to area kids

Published 6:30 am Tuesday, June 26, 2018

For the fourth year in a row, Limestone County Schools’ Child Nutrition Program is offering free, hot meals throughout much of the summer to area children through age 18.

Started by CNP director Teresa Rogers after she saw the feeding project work in other school systems, Rogers took an even bolder step last year by launching the Chow Bus. Fashioned from an old school bus donated by the district, the refurbished mobile meal vehicle features cafeteria-style seating where children can enjoy a meal and a warming station to keep prepared food hot. Students at the Limestone County Career Technical Center did most of the interior work and designed a graphic wrap for the exterior, making it recognizable in the community.

Rodgers estimated they served about 40,000 meals over last summer, thanks primarily to the Chow Bus.

Unfortunately, the generator on the bus broke down earlier this year, leaving Rogers without a way to transport meals to hungry children throughout the county. Budget shortages prevented Rogers from repairing the bus, leaving the system with no choice but to can the program.

“Without the bus, we weren’t going to be able to reach that many kids,” she said. “It just wouldn’t have been worth it, until we found out that four of of our schools would be having summer programs through the 21st Century grant.”

The system recently expanded the after-school program funded by the 21st Century Community Learning Center grant to include summer camps at four of the county’s elementary schools.

This gave Rogers enough students to merit continuing the USDA-sponsored free meals project this summer, despite having no Chow Bus to transport the meals. Instead, children and their parents would be served from the cafeterias at Tanner and Sugar Creek.

Rogers was quick to point out the program isn’t just for the students who attend the summer camp, either. It is available to all area children through the age of 18 and their parents. Adults, who are encouraged to accompany their young children, pay $3 per meal.

However, the lack of bus has resulted in a decline in numbers. Rogers said they are only serving about one-third of the kids as compared to last year at an estimated 2,000 meals per week, but she believes they are still making a difference in the community.

“We have so many underprivileged kids who need that meal, it may be the only one they have in a day,” Rogers said. “You can tell some of our kids are really hungry by the time Monday rolls around.”

“It makes you feel good to know this is making a difference for them,” she added.

Meal schedule

• Tanner High will serve breakfast from 8–8:30 a.m. and lunch 11–11:45 a.m. through June 28.

• Sugar Creek Elementary will serve breakfast from 8:30–9 a.m. and lunch 11–11:45 a.m. through July 16. They will be closed July 4 and July 5.

Next summer

Rogers said things look much brighter for next year. They have repaired the broken generator and will use money from next year’s CNP budget to repair the air conditioning unit on the bus.

“We plan to be up and running next summer,” she said. “We reached a lot of kids and a lot of kids who needed it through the Chow Bus.”

The CNP director is also working on installing food pantries at all of the county’s elementary schools to provide shelf-stable food for children on the weekends starting this fall.