Summer Meals Provide Food and Fun

There's no such thing as a free lunch — except at several Ferndale school sites this summer. The district is offering free breakfast and lunch to children younger than 18 at five sites throughout the district.

What makes this program different from the regular school lunch program provided year-round is that there's no income threshold for getting the free meals. Any child who arrives at the summer meal site during the time the meal is offered can enjoy a full meal free of charge, no ID required.

The district offered the program in response to the needs of the community, said Laura Shields, food service director. "It's just a really good community effort to reach out and help, with the way things are now," she said.

During the school year, many children living in families near or below the poverty line rely on the school lunch program to provide the only full meal they get each day. The summer meals program helps reach those children who otherwise might not get proper nutrition during the summer.

The program is federally funded, and funds are distributed through the Michigan Department of Education, Shields said. To qualify as a meal site, a school has to have at least 50 percent of its students qualify for free or reduced-price lunches, but the children themselves don't have to qualify for the free or reduced price school lunch program — or indeed, be old enough for school at all — to get lunches.

However, the program is restricted to children younger than 18 and is not available to parents or seniors.

Diana Mickles brings her two daughters, Justina, 2½, and Joanna, 18 months, to for breakfast and lunch. They can walk there from their nearby home, and it gives the girls something fun to look forward to every day, she said.

"They give the girls special attention — and I don't have to cook," Mickles said.

The program also serves children who are in summer school or at sports camps run by the district.

Like the regular school lunch program, the summer meals program provides a serving of dairy, grain, protein, fruit and vegetables, of which children have to take at least three items. All food must be eaten on site. Staff workers, who are employed by Chartwells, the district's food service vendor, are trained to monitor that.

Staffers also develop a nice rapport with the people who come for lunch; unlike the chaotic atmosphere of a typical school cafeteria, the summer meals programs are calmer, quieter and more personal. Staffers stock coloring pages and books for the children, and there are games on the tables.

"It's fun for them, and it gives them something to do if they're waiting for someone else to finish," Shields said.

Times, dates and hours vary for each site. Most run through August, although some are timed to coincide with camps. Here is a list of sites and remaining dates:

2610 Pinecrest — through Aug. 25

• Breakfast: 7:45-8:45 a.m.
• Lunch: 11:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m.

1244 Paxton — through July 15

• Breakfast: 7:30-8:30 a.m.
• Lunch: 12:35-1:35 p.m.

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881 Pinecrest — through Aug. 25

• Breakfast: 8-9 a.m.
• Lunch: noon-1 p.m.

2521 Bermuda

Through Aug. 2 (during middle and high school summer school)

• Breakfast: 7:30-8:30 a.m.
• Lunch: 1:15-2:15 p.m.

From Aug 3-25 (during Coolidge Summer School)

• Breakfast: 7:30-8:30 a.m.
• Lunch: 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

21131 Gardenlane — through Aug. 25

• Breakfast: 8-9 a.m.
• Lunch: noon-1 p.m.