School district offers free summer lunches to Davis kids

Nearly 2,000 kids every school day receive free or reduced lunches in the Davis schools through the national school lunch program (NSLP).  For some children this is the most nutritious weekday meal they receive -- and, in some cases, it is the only real meal they will get all day.

To help feed hungry kids during the summer months, the Davis Joint Unified School District has signed up to participate in a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) program to provide lunches to Davis children 18 years of age or younger.

The Davis Summer Seamless Food Program will purchase up to 75 percent of the fresh produce and ingredients for the lunches from local food producers (defined as grown or raised within 300 miles).  In addition, the Summer Seamless Food Program is supported by the Davis “Farm to School” program and California’s Superintendent of Schools. According to the California Department of Educations’ Web site, “A well-balanced diet is important to a child’s growth and development. Children who do not receive proper nutrition do not concentrate or perform well when they are in school. Providing children with a nutritious meal when school is not in session helps them return to school ready to learn and succeed.”

The Davis school district is excited to be participating in the summer food program for the community.  DJUSD Student Nutrition Director Dominic Machi said, “Keeping fresh and nutritious food in the daily diet of our children is very important to their health.  It’s a good fit for DJUSD to serve healthy meals for our kids during the summer months since we are the ones providing lunches for students 10 months out of the year.” 

The Summer Seamless Food Program meals meet Federal nutrition guidelines and include such tasty items as House made Chicken Teriyaki, House made Pasta Marinara, and many other student favorites.  Balanced meals of fruits, vegetables; grain products; and meat or meat alternates are served.

The USDA program has been around for 10 years but this is the first summer DJUSD has opted to participate.  The money to pay for the lunches comes from the USDA distributed through the California State Department of Education to the participating school districts.  No locally collected dollars are used to fund the program.

In Davis, the two schools offering free lunches are Marguerite Montgomery Elementary and Holmes Junior High although children from throughout the Davis community are welcome to come to lunch Monday through Friday 11 a.m. until 12 noon, beginning June 23.  The only requirement is that the children eat the lunch at the school site.

Machi says, “We are starting the program slowly by offering the lunches at two of our existing schools.  The USDA allows us to expand to additional locations so in the future we may consider other places including churches, parks, playgrounds, summer camps, and other public places where children gather in the summer.”

According to DJUSD Superintendent Winfred Roberson, “It is the right thing to do to help all the children in our community eat fresh and nutritious food --- all the time, not just during the school year.”