Summer Feeding back in action

Free lunches ready for anyone under 18.

Though school is out, thousands of meals are being served each day as part of the Summer Feeding Program, supported by the Rome and Floyd school systems, along with community partners, to fight against food insecurity.

Around 60 sites — schools, churches and community centers — host the meals, which are free and open to anyone under the age of 18. Registration is not required and there are no income restrictions.

Many sites also provide breakfast and some, put on the by the YMCA, host activities. The school systems do not have to use any local money to serve the meals thanks to funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Floyd County Schools Nutrition Director Donna Carver told board members last month that through the program at their sites, around 97,000 meals are served during the summer. Coupled with the Rome sites the total of meals served could surpass 100,000 this year.

To see a full list of feeding locations and meal times through Floyd County Schools, go to floydboe.net and click on child nutrition under the departments tab on the menu bar and select “Summer Feeding Program.” Similarly, the Rome City Schools site list can be found on the system’s website at rcs.rome.ga.us under the school nutrition link, found under the “Departments” tab. The times and dates the meals are served vary depending on the site.

Also this year, the site locations can be found on a map display at floydboe.nutrislice. com/meal-locations.

Four Floyd County schools serve meals — McHenry Primary, Garden Lakes Elementary, Armuchee High and Model High — but over 40 community locations across the county do as well. Those community sites include Swan Lake Mobile Home Community, Tamassee Lane Apartments, Ridge Ferry Park, the Town Green and Community Kitchen.

Each of Rome’s schools serves breakfast and lunch in their cafeterias until around the end of July. The YMCA building at 810 E. Second St. and its sports field at 1170 Turner Chapel Road are also open for meals through the third week in July.