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Article published May 14, 2009 County schools to offer summer food program
By Matthew Stewart of The Daily Times Staff
The Blount County Schools Nutrition Department will participate for the first time this summer in a program to feed all children younger than 18 years old.
East Tennessee Human Resource Agency's summer food program is provided funds through the United States Department of Agriculture and Department of Human Services.
ETHRA contracts with school food service programs or private food vendors to prepare meals for the approved feeding sites. Feeding sites are established throughout the region's 13 counties, excluding Knox County, and training is provided for each site.Food is available to all children at no charge, and there are no income guidelines.
Blount school officials have designated Rockford and Mary Blount Elementary Schools as the system's sites. Officials have discussed the possibility of opening Lanier Elementary School if it is needed, said Dr. Margie Carico, the system's food service director.
"We worry about our school-age children over the weekend, holidays, breaks and especially over the summer. We think a lot of our children have limited resources during the summer and do not get all three meals. This is a way to guarantee they get at least lunch every day," Carico said.
Blount County's feeding sites will be open from June 1 to July 17. Employees at each site will provide snacks and lunches to children in community day cares, summer camps, sports and music programs, the Friends extended school program, the kindergarten summer readiness program and several other summer school programs.
Officials are projecting between 800 and 1,000 children will be fed each day through the program, Carico said. School systems and vendors are reimbursed $2.75 for each meal that its employees serve this summer.
"This will put a small group of people back to work this summer. The program will also produce a significant financial gain for the sites hosting it, and it will stay at the schools," Carico said.Other school systems
Maryville City Schools has participated in ETHRA's summer food program for three years. The school system will have two feeding sites: Maryville High School and Foothills Elementary School. Both schools will offer breakfast and lunch. School menus will offer both hot and cold choices for students.
Maryville school officials have received a lot of interest from vacation bible school programs this year, said Sandy Walter, cafeteria manager for Maryville High School.
Both schools will be open from May 26 to July 31.
Alcoa school officials have not planned to participate in the program.